San Jose, California, 8 February 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The US Coast Guard on Friday said that it located the wreckage of a light plane which went missing with 10 people on board in Alaska a day earlier, confirming at least three deaths.

The Coast Guard on Friday afternoon said that it had ended its search for a missing Cessna 208B Grand Caravan believed to have had one pilot and nine passengers on board when it went missing on Thursday at 4 pm local time (0100 GMT Friday).

The wreckage was found some 55 kilometres south-east of Nome, on Alaska's western coast. "3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased," the Coast Guard said on social media platform X in a post also carrying a photo of a badly damaged aircraft in a snowy area.

"The remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane," the Coast Guard continued.

The Bering Air plane was travelling from Unalakeet to Nome, some 235 kilometres north-east across the Norton Sound, when it went missing, according to Alaska State Troopers.

The cause of the incident was initially unknown.

This is the third notable US aviation incident in just over a week. On January 31, an American Airlines passenger plane carrying 64 people and a military helicopter with three crewmen collided mid-air in Washington. Authorities say the crash killed all 67 people on board the two aircraft.

A day later, a private Learjet 55 medical aircraft crashed in a busy north-east area of Philadelphia one minute after taking off, resulting in the deaths of all six people on board.

Both crashes are under investigation.