Cessna reported missing over Alaska with 10 on board, officials say

A Cessna plane with 10 people on board has gone missing during a flight in Alaska, according to local and state officials.

A Cessna plane with 10 people on board has gone missing during a flight in Alaska, according to local and state officials. The plane, operated by Bering Air, was en route from Unalakleet to Nome, both cities in western Alaska separated by the Norton Sound inlet, according to the Alaska State Troopers. The state police agency was notified at 4 p.m. Thursday of “an overdue aircraft” that had gone missing with nine passengers and a pilot on board, it said in a dispatch message shared on its website. The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said on Facebook it was conducting active ground searches from Nome and White Mountain, but was limited on air searches due to poor weather and visibility. The US Coast Guard and US Air Force have stepped in to help, with flights planned to scope out the area and try to locate the missing aircraft, the department said. “The plane’s exact location is still unknown. We continue to expand search efforts to as many avenues as possible until the plane is located,” the fire department wrote. It urged the public not to form their own search parties due to the weather and safety concerns. CNN has reached out to Bering Air for comment.