Remains of all 10 aboard Alaska plane recovered

JUNEAU, Alaska — The remains of all 10 people killed when their small plane crashed into ice on the Bering Sea have been recovered, authorities said.

The Nome Volunteer Fire Department made the announcement on its Facebook page Saturday afternoon. Recovery crews had been racing to recover the bodies before a winter storm was expected to hit the region.

“All ten individuals aboard the Bering Air plane have been officially brought home,” the fire department wrote.

Crews were still working on recovering the aircraft, the fire department said.

The Bering Air single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome when it disappeared Thursday afternoon. It was found the next day after an extensive search with all nine passengers and the pilot dead, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in 25 years.

The aircraft is on an ice floe that is drifting about 5 miles a day, creating difficult conditions for recovery crews, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said during a press conference Saturday afternoon.

Crews worked swiftly on unstable, slushy sea ice to recover the bodies and the wreckage. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory, with snow and winds up to 45 mph expected to hit the region Saturday night, lasting into Sunday evening.

The flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, according to Lt. Ben Endres of the Alaska State Troopers.