Missing Alaska Plane Found With No Survivors

A tragic plane crash off the coast of Alaska has left no survivors after a Bering Air Cessna Caravan, carrying 10 people, went down on sea ice in Norton Sound. Authorities confirmed the devastating news on Friday after search and rescue teams located the wreckage.

The single-engine aircraft departed from Unalakleet, Alaska, at 2:37 p.m. on Thursday, bound for Nome a short flight across the frozen waters. But just 41 minutes later, something went horribly wrong. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the plane experienced "a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed" at 3:18 p.m., vanishing from radar. By 4:00 p.m., officials launched a frantic search after the aircraft failed to arrive as scheduled.

• Poor visibility due to light snow and fog complicated the rescue efforts.

• Authorities confirmed all 10 individuals on board nine passengers and the pilot were adults.

• Rescue teams are now working against dangerous and unstable sea ice to recover bodies and aircraft debris.

"They are on the ice as we speak," said Nome Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jim West, acknowledging the urgency of the situation. "The conditions out there are dynamic, and so we’ve got to do it safely and the fastest way we can."

The crash is yet another grim entry in what has already been a deadly year for U.S. aviation. Just last month, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Eagle commercial flight over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people on board. Days later, a medical jet carrying a pediatric patient crashed in Philadelphia, claiming seven more lives and injuring over 20 others.

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski addressed the crash, expressing the heartbreak felt by the community. Nome Mayor John Handeland echoed similar sentiments, noting that Nome is a strong and united town that will rally together in the wake of this tragedy.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but authorities are moving quickly to recover crucial evidence. With unstable ice conditions and extreme weather, time is of the essence.

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