A Chilean military C-130 Hercules has disappeared while en route from Punta Arenas to a military base on Antarctica’s King George Island and is presumed to have crashed according to the Chilean Air Force. There were 38 people on board comprising 17 crew and 21 passengers who were traveling to provide logistical support on King George Island.
The plane took off from Punta Arenas at 16:55 local time and all communication was lost at 18.13 when the plane was approximately 450 miles into its 770-mile flight and within the area known as Drake Passage. While that area is notorious for bad weather conditions, the conditions for the flight were good at the time according to the Air Force.
According to Air Force Gen Eduardo Mosqueira, the plane did not activate any distress signal before it disappeared and that it was being flown by a pilot who had extensive experience. Air Force Gen Francisco Torres confirmed that the search for the plane had “begun immediately”, with four ships and ten aircraft from Chile joining in, while Uruguay and Argentina have also sent a plane each to join in the search, which is currently focusing inside a 60-mile radius of the point where communication with the aircraft was lost.
