CanadaUS Coast Guard Ends Search
The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for a missing Ontario air ambulance that vanished over the Atlantic Ocean with six people on board. The search covered over 7,100 kilometres of ocean near Nantucket Island.
Global Newsflix 2 min read
The US Coast Guard has ended its search for a medical transport aircraft from Ontario that went missing over the Atlantic Ocean this weekend. Rear Admiral Matthew Lake said suspending a search is not an easy decision.
The Coast Guard searched for 66 hours, covering more than 7,100 kilometres of ocean, before making the difficult call to end the search on Sunday night. The search was for four Canadian crew members and two Bermudian passengers.
The rescue mission will now become a recovery operation to collect debris and sweep the ocean floor for wreckage. The debris field was found 32 kilometres from Nantucket, Massachusetts.
The Gulfstream G100, owned by Hamilton-based Latitude Air Ambulance, left Bermuda after midnight on Saturday, destined for Boston. The plane had travelled this route six times since early July.
The plane was carrying two pilots, two medical crew members, a patient, and a family member. Latitude's operations manager, Clarence Togeretz, said the company lost contact with the plane around 1:30 a.m. Saturday as it neared Boston.
The Coast Guard launched its search half an hour later, coordinating a fleet of ships and helicopters with help from the New York Air National Guard. By late Saturday, they had found a debris field and identified parts of the plane.
Staff at Latitude are coping with the loss, said Togeretz. Captain John McTamney led the Coast Guard's rescue operation, vowing to search the area until they were confident there were no survivors.
Key facts
- Six people were on board the missing air ambulance
- The search covered over 7,100 kilometres of ocean
- The US Coast Guard ended its search on Sunday night
- The plane was on a routine patient transport flight from Bermuda to Boston
Three perspectives
Neutral
The US Coast Guard's decision to end the search brings an end to hopes of finding survivors. The recovery operation will now focus on collecting debris and investigating the cause of the crash. The incident will be closely watched by aviation authorities.
Positive
The efforts of the US Coast Guard and other rescue teams demonstrate their commitment to saving lives. The search operation was extensive and well-coordinated, covering a large area of ocean. The investigation into the crash will help improve aviation safety.
Negative
The loss of the air ambulance and its crew is a tragic reminder of the risks of air travel. The incident raises questions about the safety of medical transport flights and the measures in place to prevent such accidents. The investigation will need to determine the cause of the crash.
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