United States: The US Coast Guard said it found debris from a medical transport aircraft late on Saturday. The remains of the aircraft were seen off the shore of Massachusetts’ Nantucket Island, where the search for the missing six people is underway.
US Coast Guard released still photographs of the search operations conducted by air and sea near Nantucket.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported to the Coast Guard on Saturday that it had lost all contact with a Gulfstream jet travelling from Bermuda to Boston. Hours later, the Coast Guard issued a statement declaring that they located a debris field, confirmed to be that of the missing aircraft.
According to NPR news reports, the flight data showed the jet dropped at least 9000 feet over two minutes and then stabilised for a few minutes before disappearing. Nantucket Memorial Airport said that the pilot then declared an emergency.
As per Canadian Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon’s X post, four Canadians are among those missing. The other two were Bermudian nationals, the Coast Guard confirmed.
The Gulfstream G100 had been carrying six passengers, and their relatives have been notified; the search is still progressing.
(With agency inputs from Reuters)