A small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska Thursday, killing all 10 people onboard.
Officials are in the process of recovering the wreckage and investigating what could have caused the plane to crash in the Bering Sea, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Saturday.
The plane was en route from Unalakleet to Nome when it vanished and was found on Friday. An image shows the authorities assessing the tragic scene in the ice and snow:
Crews are also working to recover the remains of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the crash.
In response to the incident, Nome Mayor John Handeland said, “Nome is a strong community, and in challenging times we come together and support each other. I expect the outpouring of support to continue in the coming days as we all work to recover from this tragic incident,” 11 Alive reported on Friday.
The recovery efforts are now a race against time, as bad weather is expected to hit the area soon.
According to Jim West, chief of the Nome Volunteer Fire Department, “They are on the ice as we speak. The conditions out there are dynamic, and so we’ve got to do it safely and the fastest way we can.”
The AP report continued:
Officials said contact with the Cessna Caravan was lost less than an hour after it left Unalakleet on Thursday. Authorities said the flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, and the aircraft went missing about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Nome.
The wreckage was found Friday by rescuers who were searching by helicopter. Local, state and federal agencies scoured large stretches of icy waters and miles of frozen tundra before finding the plane.
The plane was reportedly flying in low visibility, snow, and gusting winds when it went down, according to ABC News.
“This aircraft experienced some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed,” U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Ben McIntyre-Coble told the outlet.
Jesus Christ is King
Comments are closed.