Police wore body armour, sported automatic weapons and were backed by an armoured personnel carrier for a raid on a West Texas polygamist retreat, photos and video show.

AGENTS searching a 1,700-acre polygamist compound in west Texas found a bed in the soaring limestone temple and prosecutors believe it was used for male members to have sex with their underage wives after sect-recognised unions.

A small plane crashed into a house bordering a golf course in suburban Austin, Texas, and burst into flames, killing the six people aboard. Three people inside the luxury two-story home escaped unharmed.