US: Missing Alaska plane found with 10 people dead

Alaska [US], February 8 (ANI): The wreckage of a small plane that went missing in the US with 10 people on board has been found with no survivors, Al Jazeera quoted authorities as saying.

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The United States Coast Guard in Alaska told Al Jazeera on Friday (local time) that it had found the wreckage of the aircraft near Nome, about 885km northwest of Anchorage.

Coastguard spokesperson Mike Salerno said that two of its personnel had gotten close enough to the wreckage to see three bodies inside. "Unfortunately, it does not appear to be a survivable crash," Al Jazeera quoted Salerno as saying.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and his wife expressed condolences for the deceased.

In a post on X, he said, "Rose and I are heartbroken by the loss of the 10 people on the Bering Air flight. Our prayers are with the families, friends, and communities mourning this tragedy. We are grateful to the search teams who worked tirelessly to locate the aircraft. I ask all Alaskans to keep those affected in their thoughts and prayers."

https://x.com/GovDunleavy/status/1888023621823865294

Senator Lisa Murkowski, who represents Alaska, also expressed her sadness at the news.

"My heart is broken over the news out of Nome. Alaska is a big small town. When tragedy strikes, we're never far removed from the Alaskans directly impacted. But that also means we come together as a community to grieve and heal. We are deeply grateful to the Alaska National Guard, the US Coast Guard, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department, the Alaska State Troopers, and all those who braved dangerous conditions to conduct the search for the downed aircraft. All of Alaska is praying for the families and friends of those who lost loved ones, for the Bering Air family, and the communities of Unalakleet and Nome," Murkowski said on X.

https://x.com/lisamurkowski/status/1888030597676941463

The privately operated Cessna 208B Grand Caravan carrying nine passengers and one pilot went missing on Thursday afternoon while en route from Unalakleet to Nome.

On January 28, a regional commercial jetliner collided midair with a US army helicopter near Washington DC, killing 67 people, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)