Crashed plane found after aircraft with 10 aboard went missing in Alaska

The crashed plane was found around 34 miles southeast of Nome, the Coast Guard said in an update on X. 

"3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased. Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic incident," the Coast Guard said.

A Bering Air Cessna Caravan with nine passengers and one pilot on board took off from Unalakleet, a community on the eastern coast of Norton Sound, on Thursday and was headed to Nome about 140 miles to the west.

The flight took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. Thursday, Bering Air Director of Operations David Olson told NBC affiliate KTUU of Anchorage. 

Radar analysis showed that around 3:18 p.m. Thursday “this aircraft experienced some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said at a Friday news conference.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said earlier Friday that he and his wife, Rose, "are heartbroken by the disappearance of the Bering Air flight over Norton Sound."

Our prayers are with the passengers, the pilot, and their loved ones during this difficult time," Dunleavy said in a statement.

Nome and Unalakleet, in the western part of Alaska, are not serviced by the state’s highway system, leaving air and water or snowmobile and trails the main forms of transport between the two.