The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska said Friday afternoon that it had located an aircraft matching the description of the Nome-bound plane that went missing after takeoff with 10 people onboard on Thursday.
The Coast Guard also reported that three deceased individuals were found inside the plane and that it was located about 34 miles southeast of Nome.
“Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic incident,” the Coast Guard added in the post, which was deleted shortly after.
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Salerno of the Coast Guard told the Anchorage Daily News that it’s clear there were no survivors of the crash.
The flight, operated by Bering Air, was traveling from Unalakleet to Nome in Western Alaska when its position was lost about 12 miles offshore, according to the Coast Guard. Data from FlightRadar shows the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX last reporting info at 3:16 p.m. over the Norton Sound.
Earlier, officials said aerial searches carried out by C-130 Hercules planes from the National Guard and Air Force resulted in “no sightings.”
In a news conference on Friday, officials said an “item of interest” had been found related to the search but didn’t say what it was at the time.
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During the news conference, the Coast Guard said that data showed a “rapid loss in elevation and rapid loss in speed” for the aircraft at 3:18 p.m. local time on Thursday.
