Alaska plane crash updates: 10 people believed dead; crews work on recovery
A search for a missing plane carrying ten people has ended with the discovery of wreckage in Alaska, and authorities believe there are no survivors as crews plan to work Saturday to recover the bodies.
A massive search over land and sea by state and federal agencies lasted for the next day in challenging weather conditions before officials said Friday that they discovered the mangled plane over ice 34 miles from Nome, where the plane was supposed to land on Thursday.
Search crews found three people dead amid the wreckage and presumed the other seven were also dead but they were inaccessible because of the condition of the plane, the Coast Guard said. Recovery efforts were paused with the loss of daylight on Friday and would resume Saturday, according to the Nome Volunteer Fire Department.
"From reports we have received, the crash was not survivable. Our thoughts are with the families at this time," the fire department said.
The latest crash comes as U.S. air travel and aviation faces increased scrutiny following the collision of a passenger plane and a military helicopter outside Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people and the fatal crash of a Medevac jet in Philadelphia that killed seven people and injured more than 20 others.
