U.S. Coast Guard locate debris field linked to missing Ontario air ambulance
· Toronto Sun
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The U.S. Coast Guard has found debris from an Ontario-based air ambulance that went missing on Saturday while flying from Bermuda to Boston, with six people — including four Canadians — aboard.
The U.S. Coast Guard said search crews located a debris field linked to the missing medical transport plane approximately 32 km off the coast of Nantucket, Mass.
During a news conference in Boston on Sunday, Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, the Coast Guard’s northeast district commander, said the search is ongoing, with locating the six personnel on the missing aircraft a priority.
“As we do so, we’ve also been keeping next of kin notified with the progress of our search efforts,” Lake said, noting that authorities have searched approximately 7,355 sq. km in the last 53 hours to find the debris field.
He estimated the depth of the water in the debris field to be around 80 to 90 feet.
Missing jet registered to Hamilton company
Lake said the Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard at around 2 a.m. Saturday that it lost contact with a Gulfstream G100 jet with tail number C-GRJP.
The missing aircraft, operated by Hamilton-based Latitude Air Ambulance, was carrying two pilots, two medical staff, one patient and a family member when it went missing around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, company spokesman Clarence Togeretz told AFP.
During Sunday’s news conference, Lt.-Cmdr. Kastriot Kastrati said the Coast Guard doesn’t have an exact number of items search crews have recovered from the debris field.
“Right now, we’re really just focused on finding the people,” Kastrati said.
Lake said there are no indications that the lost aircraft’s black box was among the recovered items.
In a statement posted on X Sunday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she was “deeply concerned” by the disappearance of the Canadian aircraft.
“Global Affairs Canada consular officials are in contact with the relevant authorities as search and rescue efforts continue,” she said.
“My thoughts are with everyone on board and their loved ones,” she added, thanking U.S. authorities and others involved for their efforts.