US : At least six people are dead after a sightseeing plane crashed Thursday in southeast Alaska, according to the U.S. Coast Guard report.
The Coast guard said in a statement that “An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka located the wreckage at 2:37 p.m. and lowered two rescue swimmers who reported no survivors.”
The plane, a single-engine DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver, took off from Misty Fjords National Monument and crashed around 11:20 a.m. in an area of steep, mountainous terrain near Ketchikan, about 300 miles southeast of Juneau.
Officials informed that, weather was unstable with mist and light rain at the time of the crash, also with 8 mph winds and visibility of two miles.
The company said in a statement that Flight was carrying five passengers were from the Holland America Line cruise ship, Nieuw Amsterdam.
We can confirm that a float plane carrying five guests from Nieuw Amsterdam was involved in an accident in Ketchikan, and there are no survivors,” the company tweeted. “It was an independent tour not sold by Holland America Line. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims.”
The Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, U.S. Forest Service, and the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad (KVRS) responded to the downed aircraft and a helicopter spotted the wreckage on a ridgeline, according to the Coast Guard. The aircraft was owned by Southeast Aviation LLC.
Reports
