A Bering Air flight carrying nine passengers and a pilot has gone missing in rural Alaska on Thursday as harsh winter conditions limited aerial visibility.
According to Alaska’s Department of Public Safety, the Cessna Caravan aircraft was reported missing at approximately 4 p.m., while en route from Unalakleet to Nome.
Authorities were working to determine its last known coordinates, as severe weather conditions hampered rescue efforts.
According to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air, the flight took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., but contact with the aircraft was lost less than an hour later. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the plane was about 12 miles offshore when communications ceased.
“Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going,” Olson said.
The search effort, led by the Nome Volunteer Fire Department, included ground teams from Nome and White Mountain, while the National Guard, Coast Guard, and state troopers were also mobilized.
However, authorities warned that the extreme weather was making the mission increasingly difficult.
“Due to weather and visibility, we are limited on air search at the current time,” the Nome Volunteer Fire Department stated. Officials discouraged independent search parties, citing the dangerous storm conditions.
Weather cameras near Nome showed near-whiteout conditions for several hours on Thursday afternoon, according to Alaska’s News Source.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was monitoring the situation closely as authorities worked to pinpoint the aircraft’s last recorded position.
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