Six missing after medical jet vanishes near Nantucket

Six people remain unaccounted for after a medical evacuation aircraft disappeared in waters off Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Saturday evening while en route from Bermuda to Boston.

The Gulfstream G100, registered in Canada and operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, left Bermuda at approximately 12:41 a.m. Saturday Bermuda time. On board were a Bermudian patient and family member, plus four Canadian crew members comprising two pilots and two medical staff.

As the plane neared the Massachusetts coast, pilots reported trouble to air traffic control. Controllers heard the crew declare an emergency but struggled to make out their increasingly faint radio signals. At around 1:12 a.m. Eastern Time, emergency responders at Boston Logan International Airport were told to expect a jet with an "electrical issue" arriving within 10 to 15 minutes. The aircraft never touched down.

Flight tracking data showed the plane falling steeply in its final minutes, dropping from roughly 23,500 feet to about 11,000 feet in three minutes. No cause for the disappearance had been established by Saturday evening.

The Federal Aviation Administration triggered a search-and-rescue alert at approximately 1:20 a.m. Eastern Time. The U.S. Coast Guard launched operations in Atlantic waters south of Nantucket, deploying an HC-144 Ocean Sentry, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, an HC-130 Hercules, a 47-foot motor lifeboat and a 154-foot fast response cutter. Local police and harbor crews also searched the shoreline.

Bermuda Premier David Burt said the government had reached out to families and was coordinating with overseas authorities. "My thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time," he said. "We are praying that all six people will be found safe."

Clarence Togeretz, operations manager at Latitude Air Ambulance, said the company lost contact at approximately 1:30 a.m. as the jet approached Boston. He noted this was the first time the company had experienced such a loss. "We're praying for a safe outcome," he said.

Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon confirmed that four Canadian citizens were among those aboard and said Canada was working with relevant authorities on the search.

As of Saturday evening, the aircraft, any wreckage and the six people had not been located. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information but had released no findings.