Getty ImagesThe US Coast Guard says it has located an aircraft that matches the description of a small plane that went missing in Alaska on Thursday.
In a post on X, it said three people were found inside the aircraft and were confirmed dead.
The coastguard said the aircraft was located 34 miles (54.7km) south-east of the city of Nome, where Thursday’s flight had been heading.
Authorities said 10 people were on board a Cessna Caravan craft, which was flying from Unalakleet to Nome, when “its position was lost” about 12 miles offshore on Thursday afternoon.
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).
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.
The 10 people on board comprised nine passengers and a pilot, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.
In an earlier update on Friday, the coastguard said the plane had experienced a rapid loss in altitude and speed before its location was lost.
It added that its search and rescue mission, the US Coast Guard had spotted an “item of interest”, and a coastguard helicopter had been sent to investigate.
Air search and rescue operations have been limited by difficult weather conditions, which hampered visibility, multiple parties involved in rescue efforts said.
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.
“Please keep the missing individuals, their loved ones and search teams in your thoughts tonight,” the Alaska State Troopers said on X.
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 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.
