A Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft from the Bering Air company with ten people on board was reported as missing on Thursday afternoon near Nome, the most important city in Western Alaska, authorities reported.
Alaska State Police reported that the flight had nine passengers and a pilot on board and added that they were contacted by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at 16 (01:00 GMT on Friday).
According to the Nome Volunteer Fire Department, the Cessna 208b Grand Caravan plane, owned by Bering Air, flew between Unalakleet and Nome.
Flightradar’s data show that the last flight information was at 15:16 about Norton Sound, Xinhua news agency reported.
White Mountain Fire Chief Jack Adams reported that the plane disappeared from the radar somewhere along the Nome coast.
Rescuers were actively looking for a stretch of approximately 30 miles (50 kilometers) in that area, according to Adams.
“If they find nothing, let’s probably summon another team to help,” he added.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department asked the public not to form individual search groups due to climatic conditions and security concerns.
The Coast Guard is exploring the area and the C-130 will fly in a grid pattern in an attempt to locate the place of disappearance, said the fire department on its official page.
