Getty ImagesUS authorities are looking for a small plane carrying 10 people that experienced a rapid loss in altitude and speed before going missing in the state of Alaska on Thursday, officials said.
The US Coast Guard for the Alaska region said a Cessna Caravan craft was 12 miles (19km) offshore on a flight from Unalakleet to Nome when “its position was lost”, about ten minutes before it was due to land.
Alaska State Troopers said it had been notified of an “overdue” aircraft operated by the airline Bering Air at 16:00 local time on Thursday (01:00 GMT).
The 10 people on board comprised nine passengers and a pilot, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.
Details of who was on board have not been released but the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said all families of the passengers have been notified.
Air search and rescue operations have been limited by difficult weather conditions, which have hampered visibility, multiple parties involved in rescue efforts said.
Giving information about its search and rescue mission, the US Coast Guard said a plane had been sent to search for the last known positions of the missing craft.
The search plane – which includes specialised equipment to locate objects and people with no visible conditions – will fly in a grid pattern over the water and shoreline.
In a later update, the coastguard added that search crews had spotted an “item of interest” on Friday afternoon, and a coastguard helicopter had been sent to investigate.
It did not provide further details. The BBC has contacted Bering Air for comment.
The volunteer fire department said the pilot had told air traffic controllers that “he intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway to be cleared”.
The department has also since said that a road has been cleared “in the event the plane is located” and to support search crews.
“Search crews are actively looking for this aircraft amid challenging conditions,” the Alaska State Troopers said on X.
“Please keep the missing individuals, their loved ones and search teams in your thoughts tonight.”
The post noted “challenging” weather conditions, which the Nome volunteer fire department also said limited air search-and-rescue efforts.
Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage has also sent flight support.
Alaska’s governor, Mike Dunleavy, has said he is “heartbroken” by the disappearance of the flight.
“Our prayers are with the passengers, the pilot, and their loved ones during this difficult time,” he said.
The two cities of Unakleet and Nome are some 146 miles from each other across the Norton Sound, an inlet of the Bering Sea on Alaska’s western coast.
