CNN
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A Cessna plane with 10 people on board disappeared during a flight in Alaska, according to local and state authorities.
The aircraft, operated by Bering Air, was heading from Unalakleet to Nome, both cities in the west of Alaska separated by the Norton Sound Ensenada, according to the Alaska State Police.
The State Police received the notice at 4 pm this Thursday from “a lost aircraft” with nine passengers and a pilot on board, according to a shared message on its website.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said on Facebook that it was carrying out active land searches from Nome and White Mountain, but that it was limited in air searches due to bad weather and visibility. The US Coast Guard and the US Air Force intervened to help, with flights planned to explore the area and try to locate the missing plane, the department said.
“The exact location of the plane is still unknown. We continue to expand the search efforts to as many ways as possible until locating it, ”the Fire Department wrote. He urged the public not to form their own search groups due to weather conditions and security concerns.
“Bering Air staff is working hard to gather details, get emergency help and start the search and rescue,” said David Olson, Bering Air operations director, Associated Press reported. CNN contacted Bering Air for more information.
On Thursday night, there was light and drizzle snow around Nome airport; At one point, there was a visibility of a kilometer and a half, with forecasts of wind gusts up to 56 km/h during the night.
According to the Flightradar 24 flight tracker data, the aircraft, a Cessna 208b Grand Caravan, was last seen on Norton Sound around 3:16 PM AKST.
The plane was about 19 km from the coast when its position was lost, according to the Coast Guard.
Local hospitals are preparing for any possible necessary response. Norton Sound Health Corporation said in a statement that he was “ready to respond to a community medical emergency.” The Norton Sound Regional Hospital also enabled a family center so that the loved ones of the passengers would meet for news.
The flight tracker also showed an HC-130 of the Coast Guard flying near the last known location of the plane on Thursday night. The Fire Department said it had “specialized equipment for the search and rescue that allows them to locate objects and people through zero visibility conditions.”
Senator Dan Sullivan, from Alaska, reported the incident on Facebook. “We are listening to reports from a possible disappeared plane to Nome. Our thoughts and prayers are with passengers, their families and the rescue crew. ”
The search for the plane occurs while US Air Safety researchers continue He left 67 dead, and the accident of a medical evacuation plane in Philadelphia in which 7 people died.
Robert Shakelford, Amanda Jackson, Josh Campbell, Jeremy Harlan and Martin Goillandeau de CNN have contributed to this report.
(Tagstotranslate) Lost plane (T) Alaska
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