Flight carrying 10 reported missing in Alaska: police

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 : A small commercial flight carrying 10 people was reported missing Thursday in the northwestern US state of Alaska, according to law enforcement.

Alaska state police said a Bering Air Caravan with nine passengers and one pilot on board was reported overdue on a flight from Unalakleet to Nome at 4:00 pm Alaska Standard Time (0100 GMT).

The two cities are located roughly 146 miles (235 kilometers) apart from each other across the Norton Sound.

Search and rescue crews "are working to get to the last known coordinates" of the flight, authorities said in a statement.

The missing flight is the latest incident in a recent string of aviation disasters in the United States.

On January 30, a passenger jet collided midair with a US Army helicopter in the capital city of Washington, killing all 67 people aboard.

The disaster was followed closely by the crash of a medical plane into a busy Philadelphia neighborhood, killing seven and injuring 19.  (AFP)