Coast Guard searches for medical plane missing near Nantucket

The US Coast Guard has launched a search for a medical evacuation aircraft that went missing off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, while flying from Bermuda to Boston, officials said Saturday. The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance, disappeared at about 1:30 a.m., according to company spokesman Clarence Togeretz, who spoke to AFP. The Coast Guard said on X that surface vessels and aircraft were being used in the search.

The available material did not provide further information about the aircraft’s last known position, the weather conditions or the status of the search. Togeretz said six people were aboard the plane. They included two pilots, two medical staff, one patient and a family member accompanying the patient.

The company provides medical evacuation and repatriation services, transporting people back to their home countries from locations around the world. Its website says it operates a fleet of 10 aircraft. Togeretz said he had no further information about the rescue effort.

The Coast Guard’s search operation remained under way, with aircraft and vessels looking for signs of the missing plane and its occupants. No details were immediately provided on the patient’s medical condition, the purpose of the flight beyond its route, or the circumstances in which the aircraft disappeared. Further information is expected from the Coast Guard and the airline as the operation continues.