US Coast Guard suspends search for missing air ambulance

HAMILTON, Bermuda(CMC) – Bermuda Premier David Burt said he remains hopeful that all six people on board an air ambulance aircraft that left Bermuda for the United States last Saturday would be found, even as the United States Coast Guard on Sunday night suspended its search for them. The Bermuda government said in a statement that it continues to monitor developments in the ongoing search for the air ambulance aircraft that departed Bermuda in the early hours of Saturday morning. “The Government of Bermuda continues to monitor the situation and remains in contact with relevant authorities. All of Bermuda’s thoughts remain with the individuals on board, their families and loved ones.” The identities of those on board have not been made public. The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 jet, belongs to Latitude Air Ambulance, a Hamilton-based medical evacuation company. Premier Burt said in an earlier statement that his thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time, adding “we are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing effort”. In announcing the decision to suspend the search for an air ambulance carrying two Bermudians and four Canadians, the US Coast Guard Northeast District said the appropriate investigative authorities will coordinate a “future investigation into the cause of the incident”. “Suspending a search is not an easy decision. We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and our gratitude for our partner agencies who helped support search effort,” said Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, Commander of the Northeast District. Wreckage was sighted at sea after the aircraft left the island on Saturday, and the search crews have since located the debris field. Air traffic controllers said the pilot of the craft had declared an emergency due to electrical issues. The plane was lost roughly 20 miles off Nantucket. By the time the search was suspended, it had covered 4,445 square miles of sea over approximately 66 hours. Rear Admiral Lake, who was joined by Captain John McTamney and Lieutenant-Commander Kastriot Kastrati, the search and rescue coordinator, said that the Coast Guard was “in the process of working with Massachusetts authorities” to bring a craft into the search with sonar capabilities to scan the sea floor. The debris field off Nantucket was said to be “extensive”, with a depth of 80 to 90 feet, and McTamney explained the level of debris made it “very difficult to get into the details of what’s there”. He said the weather had been “favourable for searching”, noting that “we will continue to search and saturate the area until we’re at the point that, if there were any survivors remaining on the surface of the water, we would have found them. “I want you to know that my thoughts and those of every Coast Guard crew member are with the people on that aircraft, their families, their friends and their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” he said.