Synopsis
The US Coast Guard has located a crashed plane matching the description of an aircraft that vanished along Alaska's western coast, with all 10 individuals on board confirmed dead. The wreckage was found southeast of Nome after challenging search efforts.Key Takeaways
- US Coast Guard located a crashed plane in Alaska.
- All 10 passengers aboard have been confirmed deceased.
- The aircraft was a Cessna Caravan, operated by Bering Air.
- It was reported missing during a flight from Unalakleet to Nome.
- The search faced poor weather and low visibility.
San Francisco, Feb 8 (NationPress) The US Coast Guard has reported the discovery of a crashed aircraft that corresponds with the description of the plane that went missing along the western coastline of Alaska, carrying 10 individuals.
The wreckage was located approximately 54 km southeast of Nome, a city in western Alaska.
Tragically, all 10 individuals aboard have been confirmed deceased, according to the US Coast Guard.
The aircraft was found after an extensive search operation, which was challenged by adverse weather conditions and limited visibility.
This turboprop Cessna Caravan, operated by Bering Air, was declared missing on Thursday afternoon, as stated by the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The flight, which included nine passengers and a pilot, was traveling from Unalakleet, also situated in western Alaska, to Nome when it lost contact roughly 19 km offshore, as confirmed by the US Coast Guard.
On Friday, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department communicated that the families of all passengers had been informed of the situation. Alaska State Trooper Lt. Ben Endres verified that all the individuals on the flight were adults, part of the regularly scheduled commuter service, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
FlightRadar24, a live flight-tracking service, indicated that the last known position of the aircraft was over water, recorded 38 minutes post-departure from Unalakleet. The journey between these two locations generally requires under an hour, according to Xinhua news agency.
Among the deceased were two individuals who were on a work-related trip for a non-profit tribal health organization. The identities of the other victims have yet to be disclosed.
The search for the aircraft coincides with ongoing investigations by US air safety officials into two recent catastrophic events. These include a midair collision involving a Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial passenger jet near Washington, DC, which resulted in 67 fatalities, alongside the crash of a medevac jet in Philadelphia that led to the deaths of seven people.
