SANTIAGO: Chile’s air force said it lost radio contact with a transport plane carrying 38 people on a flight Monday evening to the country’s base in Antarctica.
In a statement, Chile’s air force said the C-130 Hercules carrying 17 crew members and 21 passengers took off at 4.55pm local time from the southern city of Punta Arenas.
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They were travelling to provide logistical support to a military base on Antarctica’s King George Island. A search-and-rescue mission is under way.
Air Force General Eduardo Mosqueira told local media that the plane did not activate any distress signal.
He said the plane, whose pilot had extensive experience, may have been forced to land after running out of fuel.
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An air force statement that the plane was about 450 miles into its 770-mile journey when contact was lost, placing it within the Drake Passage.
The Drake Passage is body of water connecting the South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans, and is known for treacherous weather conditions.
But Chile’s air force said local weather was good at the time of the plane’s disappearance.
President Sebastián Piñera said in a tweet that he was “dismayed” by the loss, and was monitoring the situation from the capital, Santiago.
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