Missing plane found in Alaska, all 10 on board confirmed dead
SAN FRANCISCO - The US Coast Guard said Friday it found a crashed plane matching the description of the aircraft carrying 10 people that went missing along Alaska's western coast Thursday afternoon.
The plane was found about 54 km southeast of Nome, a city in western Alaska.
All 10 people on board were confirmed dead, the US- Coast Guard said.
The wreckage was discovered after an hours-long search operation amid poor weather and low visibility.
The turboprop Cessna Caravan, operated by Bering Air, was reported missing on Thursday afternoon, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The aircraft, carrying nine passengers and a pilot, was en route from Unalakleet, also in the western part of Alaska, to Nome when its position was lost about 19 km offshore, the US Coast Guard confirmed.
As of 9 a.m. local time (1800 GMT) on Friday, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department reported that the families of all those on board had been notified. Alaska State Trooper Lt. Ben Endres confirmed that all the passengers were adults on the regularly scheduled commuter flight.
According to FlightRadar24, a live flight-tracking website, the aircraft's last recorded position was over water 38 minutes after departing Unalakleet. The flight between the two locations typically takes less than an hour.
