Alaska crews race against weather to recover plane crash victims; 2 passengers identified
Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson boarded the flight to Nome after traveling to Unalakleet to work on a heat recovery system servicing the community's water plant, according to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, The Associated Press reported.
The identities of the others killed in the crash have not yet been released.
According to a Facebook post by the Nome Volunteer Fire Department, officials were using a break in the weather Saturday "to bring Bering Air passengers and crew home today."
The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday found the wreckage of the plane on sea ice about 30 miles southeast of Nome. It will later be removed from the water by a Black Hawk helicopter.
Coast Guard officials confirmed three bodies were found inside the aircraft but did not release their identities. All the passengers were adults.
"The remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane," USCG Alaska wrote in a social media post. "Our heartfelt condolences are with those affected by this tragic incident."
The Coast Guard determined the severity of the wreckage was beyond the possibility of survival but announced an "item of interest" related to the search was recovered.
The Bering Air commuter flight, bound for Nome, disappeared about 12 miles offshore, according to the Coast Guard. The flight was regularly scheduled.
Data from FlightRadar shows the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX last reported just after 3:15 p.m. local time Thursday over Norton Sound.
The Coast Guard said data showed a "rapid loss in elevation and rapid loss in speed" for the aircraft at 3:18 p.m. Thursday. However, authorities have not yet pinpointed why that happened.
No messages or distress signals were relayed, the AP reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration is providing an investigator from the Aviation Safety Office of Accident and Prevention, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
He added the Department of Transportation will offer its full support with other plane crash investigations in progress.
The Alaska crash was the third fatal U.S. plane collision in eight days.
A passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter crashed midair near Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, killing 67 people.
A medical plane carrying an ill child plummeted onto a Philadelphia street Jan. 31, killing all six on board and a bystander on the ground.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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