Earlier on Friday, we reported on a Bering Air aircraft going missing on a one-hour flight from Unalakleet to Nome. The plane, a single-engine Cessna Caravan, was flying the mostly over-water route when it disappeared. As we reported:

A Cessna Caravan aircraft carrying the pilot and nine passengers from Unalakleet to Nome (Alaska) has vanished. Searchers are currently braving the Alaska winter searching for the missing aircraft, but as of this writing, there is no trace of the plane or its passengers.

The Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air. The flight path to Nome takes planes over Norton Sound, which was partly but not entirely ice-covered this week.

The aircraft was 12 miles offshore, the U.S. Coast Guard said. It was operating at its maximum passenger capacity, according to the airline’s description of the plane.

“Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going,” Olson said.

We can now report that wreckage matching the missing aircraft has been found, 34 miles from Nome. Three people were found in the wreckage, all deceased:

Rescuers searching for a missing aircraft which vanished in Alaska last night have found a plane matching its description with three bodies inside.

The remains were found inside the aircraft 34 miles southeast of Nome, the flight's intended destination.

No details have been given on the remaining seven people who were aboard.

Authorities revealed the grim discovery at around 6.17pm ET.

'Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic incident,' the Coastguard in Alaska said.

As of this writing the whereabouts of the remaining seven people aboard are unknown.

BREAKING: The wreckage believed to be that of a missing Bering Air plane has been found near Nome, Alaska, with at least 3 confirmed dead and no updates on the other seven passengers, Coast Guard says. pic.twitter.com/hnZ9WfhXzF

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 7, 2025

The wreckage was found shortly after searchers reported sighting an "object of interest."

Previously on RedState: Rescue Effort Underway for Missing Bering Air Plane Bound for Nome

The U.S. Coast Guard has stated that the aircraft suffered an "event" that caused it to "rapidly lose altitude and speed":

The missing Bering aircraft suffered 'some kind of event' in the moments before it dropped off flight radars, officials revealed at a press briefing Friday afternoon.\

Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander McIntyre Cobel said the 'event' caused the aircraft to 'rapidly lose altitude and speed'.

He said he could not comment on the nature of the event, and investigations are ongoing.

Reports also indicate that weather was a factor - hardly unusual for Alaska in February:

The small Bering aircraft that vanished off the coast of Alaska on Thursday was battling freezing and treacherous conditions in the moments before it fell off flight radars.

The National Weather Service said temperatures were in the single figures at the time with light snow, wind gusts of up to 35mph, and low visibility down to just half a mile.

While there will be an investigation into what caused the crash, the focus is now on the seven missing passengers/crew. The region of the crash is difficult to navigate on foot, the weather is bad, and it's unknown why any presumed survivors left the crash site if that is indeed what happened; protocol in such events is to remain by the aircraft, not only to aid searchers but also to take advantage of the aircraft as shelter. Nome is 34 miles from the crash site and there are no villages or towns in the area of the crash.

As this is a developing story, we will monitor it and bring you updates as events warrant.