Santiago, Dec 10: Chile's air force lost radio contact with a transport plane carrying 38 people on a flight Monday evening to the country's base in Antarctica, and authorities indicated several hours later that they were not optimistic about the aircraft's fate.
The military said earlier that it had declared an alert and activated search and rescue teams.
The C-130 Hercules carried 17 crew members and 21 passengers, including three civilians. The personnel were to check on a floating fuel supply line and other equipment at the Chilean base.
President Sebasti n Pi era said via Twitter that he was with his defense and interior ministers at the air force headquarters monitoring developments.
In a statement early Tuesday, the air force said the plane had not been heard from in more than seven hours and likely would have run out of fuel around 12:40 a.m.
The air force "continues the search in the sector where communication with the aircraft was lost, in order to rescue potential survivors," the statement said.
The plane took off at 4:53 p.m. from the southern city of Punta Arenas, which is more than 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) from the capital of Santiago. Contact was lost at 6:13 p.m., the initial announcement said.
Drake's Passage, where the plane was missing, is infamous for severe weather conditions, including freezing temperatures and ferocious storms. But the air force said late Monday that the weather was good when the plane began its flight, or the mission would not have been carried out.
Gen Eduardo Mosqueira of the Fourth Air Brigade told local media that a search was underway and a ship was in the general area where the plane should have been when contact was lost.
Mosqueira said the aircraft would have been about halfway to the Antarctic base when it lost contact. No emergency signals had been activated, he said.
He said the plane, whose pilot had extensive experience, had been scheduled to return Monday night.
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Belthangady (PTI): In connection with the Dharmasthala mass burial case, officers of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) brought the key witness and complainant to the Netravati riverbank in Dharmasthala under tight police security for a spot inspection on Sunday afternoon.
The inspection began around 1 PM at the bathing ghat area near the river, where the complainant identified the alleged burial site. A heavy security blanket was deployed across the area, and officers from multiple departments were stationed at the location.
Senior officers including Jitendra Kumar Dayama and C.A. Simon led the inspection, coordinating the on-site proceedings.
As news of the inspection spread, several local residents gathered near the bathing ghat, curious to witness the development. However, the SIT officers escorted the witness deep into the forest area nearby, where he is said to have pointed out the exact spots where multiple bodies were allegedly buried.
Sources indicate that the inspection could go on for several more hours.