A European Vega rocket has been lost shortly after blast off, the commercial space company Arianespace says. It is the first time in 15 launches that a Vega rocket has failed.

The rocket had been carrying a military satellite for the United Arab Emirates when it took off from the European spaceport in French Guiana on Wednesday evening. It is believed to have crashed into the Atlantic Ocean north of the space centre.

Luce Fabreguettes, Arianespace's executive vice president of missions, said a "major anomaly" had occurred about two minutes after liftoff at the time of the second stage ignition.

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