Chilean Air Force Plane Disappears En Route to Antarctica
A Chilean Air Force C-130 Hercules carrying 38 people has vanished from radar during a flight to Antarctica, sparking a major search and rescue mission.
Mystery Mid-Flight Over Treacherous Waters
The aircraft took off from Punta Arenas in southern Chile at 4:55 p.m. local time on Monday. Contact was lost at 6:13 p.m. while flying over the perilous Drake Passage, the stormy stretch linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
38 On Board, Mostly Military Personnel
The plane was en route to Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva on King George Island, off Antarctica’s coast. A Chilean Air Force statement confirmed 38 aboard—17 crew members and 21 passengers—mostly air force personnel.
“The aircraft was carrying out logistical support tasks, transferring personnel for the revision of the floating fuel supply pipeline at the base and for carrying out anticorrosive treatment of national facilities in the area,” the statement said.
Authorities have yet to release the identities of those on board as the search continues.
