MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. – Authorities found one dead body after a single-engine Pilatus PC-12 plane crashed near the North Carolina coast, leaving 7 other travelers missing, officials are searching for the remaining passengers.
“Officials in North Carolina say crews were searching debris fields in the Atlantic Ocean after a small plane carrying eight people crashed off the Outer Banks. One body has been recovered so far”, AP news Tweeted.
During Monday’s press release, Asa Buck, the Carteret County Sheriff said, one dead body has been retrieved from the debris and identified, and the search for the rest is ongoing.
Officials have refused to reveal the identity of the rest of the seven travelers “out of respect for the families.”
“There is no indication that anyone survived the crash,” said Buck.
On Sunday, the authorities revealed that the single-engine Pilatus PC-12 was crash-landed into the Atlantic Ocean.
As per the news released later that night, the on-duty Coast Guard responded to a message from an air traffic controller who reported that the plane ‘appeared to be misbehaving’ and eventually disappeared from the radar before crashing into the ocean.
Towboat U.S, National Park Service beach staff, and the Down East Fire Department are on board to find the remaining 7 travelers, alongside the Sheriff’s Department.
However, the wreckage being conveyed to the sea has obstructed the recovery efforts.
“That search and recovery went on late, until dawn,” said Buck. “And this morning, many organizations came back and found a garbage dump that had moved overseas – 5, 10, 15 miles miles offshore.”
“There are three different areas of waste now” Buck noted.
“We are also currently in the process of acquiring a large airline, fuselage, in an effort to secure that part of the aircraft and to continue to find passengers on the aircraft,” he added.
A representative for the Coast Guard, said, “ships as far away as Cape May, New Jersey were busy searching”.
While assuring that several vessels from different agencies are conducting the search, U.S. Coast Guard Capt., Matthew J. Baer addressed the reporters, saying, “We’ve got an all-hands-on-deck event going on here. And we want the citizens of Carteret County and eastern North Carolina to know that your Coast Guard is out there doing our absolute best alongside our partners.”
After the crash news went viral, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper took to Twitter to express his grief for the sufferers and their families.
“Our prayers and deep concerns go to the families and loved ones of the passengers,” he wrote.
“We’re grateful for the people in our state and local agencies who are supporting the efforts of the Coast Guard and other first responders”, he added.
Most of the passengers were from the coastal county, Carteret, home to 70,000 people.
“We’ve been in very close contact with the family members,” said the county sheriff.
