Plane with 10 passengers missing in Alaska, search underway

Authorities in Alaska are searching for a commercial plane after it disappeared from radar 19 km off the coast of Alaska, marking the third major US aviation incident in eight days. 

The plane, which was a small Cessna 208B belonging to Bering Air, disappeared from radar during a flight from Unalakleet to Nome at around 1 a.m. (GMT) on Friday.

The plane was carrying nine passengers and one pilot at the time of disappearance.

There is still no information on the fate of the aircraft or the people on board.

Rescue teams have been dispatched to the area. A statement on X reported that a Coast Guard Hercules HC-130 search and rescue aircraft was sent from Air Station Kodiak to the last known location of the missing plane, which was 12 miles offshore.

The local police department has called for civilians to provide boats in order to help the search effort.

The disappearance of the Bering Air aircraft is the latest in a string of aviation incidents in the United States in the past two weeks and has left 73 people dead.

The disappearance is also the second air accident to occur in the US state of Alaska in the past 10 days, after a F-35 fighter jet crashed during a training flight on January 29.

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