(CNN) -- A source familiar with ongoing rescue efforts confirms to CNN that former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has died in a plane crash near Dillingham, Alaska.
The private plane carrying Stevens and a former head of NASA crashed Monday night in a rugged stretch of Alaska. The crash left at least five people dead, but at least three survivors.
Maj. Guy Hayes, a spokesman for the Alaska Air National Guard, said rescue crews were working to get at least three injured people away from the scene. He said it's possible there may be more survivors.
"They have definitely worked on two people. They're working on a third person to get him out of there right now," said Hayes, who noted that rough terrain has complicated rescue efforts.
"It's been pretty difficult to get into the area," Hayes said. "It took them roughly about 12 hours, i think, from when the plane was spotted by good Samaritans until we got there on scene".
EADS North America said its chief executive officer, Sean O'Keefe, a former head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was a passenger on the aircraft. Stevens' family would neither confirm nor deny reports that the former Alaska Republican senator was aboard.
The family issued a statement Tuesday offering their prayers for the crash victims.
"The Ted Stevens family offers their prayers for all those on board and for their families. We thank the brave men and women who are working to reach the site," said a family statement read on CNN by Stevens' former chief of staff, Mitch Rose.
"We continue to work with the Alaska National Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alaska state troopers. We thank everyone for their support and prayers," the statement said.
The news has reverberated across the state. Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, sent out a Twitter message saying: "Heartbreaking Bristol Bay plane crash. Alaska's heart surrounds loved ones. More info coming in; pls pray for Dillingham rescue this morning".
Alaska's two current U.S. senators also issued statements.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, asked "Alaskans to join me in prayer for all those aboard the aircraft and their families." Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat, said his "thoughts and prayers are with those on board the plane and their families as we wait for more information". CNN
