Nine people have died after a sightseeing plane smashed into a cliff in remote Alaska. Everybody on board the turboprop seaplane were confirmed dead on Thursday evening.
A sightseeing plane has reportedly smashed into a cliff in remote Alaska. Nine people on board the turboprop seaplane, operated by a local tour company was confirmed dead on Thursday evening. Rescuers had scrambled to the scene, 800ft above a lake in the picturesque Misty Fjords area of the southern Alaska coastline, arrived to find everybody dead.
Eight of those on the plane were passengers from a passing cruise ship who purchased an excursion. The ninth was the pilot. None have been named. Rescuers say the plane crashed around 11am, and the deaths were confirmed at 6pm. It is not clear how the plane, deHavilland single-turbine Otter model, came to crash, though heavy, low clouds were seen in the area Thursday.
A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said: 'The initial rescue crew that went in had a very tough time because of the terrain. It's a very steep, mountainous area, and weather conditions caused them to stand down.'
The passengers were all traveling on the MS Westerdam, a cruise liner which left Seattle on Saturday. It was headed to Juneau along the Alaskan coast, but stopped on its journey after the crash. Tour operators realized the plane had been out too long around 2pm Thursday afternoon, prompting search efforts. It was later found by a passing helicopter.