RESCUERS searching for a missing plane that vanished off the coast of Alaska have found an aircraft matching its description, with all its passengers dead.
A frantic search was launched after the Bering Air flight vanished over the ocean near the infamous Alaska Triangle, an area where more than 20,000 people have reportedly disappeared.
The Cessna Caravan, flying from Unalakleet to Nome, was last seen about 12 miles offshore at 3.16 pm on Thursday, according to FlightRadar.
Brutal weather has hampered rescue efforts, with the Coast Guard and Air Force scouring the treacherous shoreline.
The FBI joined the search Friday, using cell phone tracking to try and locate survivors.
But now the aircraft was discovered 34 miles southeast of Nome, its intended destination, after vanishing from radar.
The small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska and was located on sea ice and all passengers on board died, authorities said.
Officials confirmed the grim find at 6.17pm local time on Friday.
Startling footage previously showed the total white-out conditions a plane was flying in when it vanished with 10 people onboard.
A time-lapse video showed the snowy weather near Nome’s airport, which created zero visibility when the plane went missing.
It was 17 degrees in Unalakleet when the plane took off, according to the National Weather Service.
The area was covered in fog, and light snow was falling.
The harsh weather is also causing problems for the urgent air search for the flight, according to White Mountain Fire Chief Jack Adams.
“Word is, all the aircraft are grounded, there’s zero visibility,” Adams told NBC and CBS affiliate KTUU-TV.
“Basically, you can’t see anything from the air or the ground, and in the dark looking for something in zero visibility is a tough job.”
The Coast Guard had brought in a Jayhawk helicopter to search the area on Friday.
The emergency department was conducting a ground search spanning 30 miles with volunteers from Nome and White Mountain.
The searches started after an eerie radar video showed the moment the plane disappeared an hour after taking off.
The plane disappeared while flying over Alaska’s Norton Sound, an inlet of the Bering Sea.
MYSTERY TRIANGLE
While the exact coordinates of where the aircraft was last seen are still being determined, the plane had been lost near the Alaska Triangle.
The Alaska Triangle is a remote area in the middle of Utqiagvik, Anchorage, and Juneau.
The region, often compared to the Bermuda Triangle, is made up of forests, tundra, and icy peaks.
The triangle is known for its extreme weather and strange occurrences.
A shockingly high number of flights, tourists, and hikers have disappeared there without a trace.
The names of the people onboard the Bering Air flight haven’t been released.
Hospitals near Nome are prepared in case they need to respond as the search continues, according to the Norton Sound Health Corporation.
“Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going,” David Olson, the director of operations for Bering Air, told the Associated Press.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13479533/alaska-flight-missing-video-bering-triangle-plane/
