Missing plane found crashed in Alaska, all 10 on board killed: officials

globalnews.ca:

A small plane that was reported missing in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome was found crashed Friday on sea ice, and all 10 people aboard the Bering Air flight were killed, authorities said.

Mike Salerno, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard, said rescuers were searching the aircraft’s last known location by helicopter when they spotted the wreckage. They lowered two rescue swimmers to investigate.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Alaska regional office said on X that three bodies were found inside the aircraft, but the remaining seven victims were “inaccessible due to the condition of the plane.”

“From reports we have received, the crash was not survivable,” the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post. “Our thoughts are with the families at this time.”

The Bering Air Caravan, a single-engine turboprop, was heading from Unalakleet to Nome on Thursday afternoon with nine adult passengers and a pilot, according to Alaska’s Department of Public Safety.

The names of the people on board haven’t been released.

Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to Global News it was aware of the missing plane, but “based on current information, no Canadians are believed to be on the flight.”

Local, state and federal agencies assisted in the search effort, flying over stretches of ice-dotted waters and scouring miles of frozen tundra.

The National Guard was approved to fly a helicopter Friday morning, and the Coast Guard and others also were taking part in aerial search efforts. The Coast Guard planned to drop a buoy to help track the movement of sea ice, and a ground crew on snowmobiles headed along the coast and farther inland.

The Nome Volunteer Fire Department reported the plane missing in a Facebook