A massive search operation is underway in Alaska after a Bering Airlines flight carrying 10 people vanished on Thursday afternoon during its trip from Unalakleet to Nome.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the smaller Cessna plane, which had nine passengers and one pilot on board, lost communication roughly 12 miles offshore. Further data from FlightRadar shows the aircraft’s last reported position at 3:16 p.m. over Norton Sound, a large body of water between the Seward Peninsula and mainland Alaska.
Following the disappearance, a Hercules aircraft from Air Station Kodiak was deployed to search for the plane’s last known location. Despite efforts, authorities had not yet located the aircraft as of Friday morning.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department is assisting with ground search efforts along the coastline while the Coast Guard’s Hercules flies a sweeping grid pattern in the area, Fox News reported. The aircraft is equipped with specialized technology for search and rescue operations and can detect objects even in low-visibility conditions.
“We do not have any updated information on the location of the missing aircraft… Crews are still searching on the ground, canvassing as much area as possible,” The Nome Volunteer FD announced early Friday morning.
Bering Air, a regional airline based in the Nome area of Alaska, first confirmed the missing flight and expressed its commitment to aiding the rescue.
“Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going,” David Olson, Bering Air’s Director of Operations, told The Associated Press.
The Alaska National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard are also actively involved in the search, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s Air Force resources also support it, per Fox.
The plane disappeared under some severely challenging weather conditions. The temperature at Unalakleet at the time of departure was reported to be 17°F, with snow and fog.
The most recent update from the Nome Volunteer Fire Department, posted Friday, reads, “All families of passengers on the missing flight have been notified. Please keep families in your thoughts at this time. Search efforts continue by air and land. The Coast Guard helicopter is actively canvassing the sea ice and shoreline, and the National Guard is spooling up to launch in the Blackhawk.”