All ten on board a passenger plane that went missing over are believed to be dead, the US Coast Guard said after locating the wreckage on sea ice.
The US Coast Guard initially reported that three bodies had been found inside the wreckage and then said the remaining seven were also believed to be inside the aircraft but were “inaccessible die to the condition of the plane.”
The plane, which was carrying nine passengers and a pilot, was flying from the remote community of Unalakleet to Nome when it was reported missing at around 4 p.m. local time (0100 UTC).
The airline, Bering Air, said officials lost contact with the Cessna Caravan less than an hour after it took off from Unalakleet.
“Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going,” said Bering Air’s director of operations David Olson.
Rescue crews battle poor conditions
Alaska’s Department of Public Safety said rescue crews had been “working to get to the last known coordinates” of the aircraft.
The US Coast Guard, National Guard and Alaska State Troopers had also been dispatched to help with the search.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said a ground search had taken place around Nome and White Mountain.
“Due to weather and visibility, we are limited on air search at the current time,” it said.
Residents had earlier been warned against forming their own search parties due to the dangerous weather conditions.
The Bering Air crash is the latest in a string of serious aviation incidents in the United States this year, including over Washington and a medevac flight that .
Edited by Wesley Dockery
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