Authorities in the Bahamas have launched an urgent search operation for four American family members whose small plane vanished Monday during a flight to South Florida, officials confirmed.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force reported that a PA-34 Piper five-seater aircraft carrying two grandparents and their two grandchildren departed Great Harbour Cay late Monday morning bound for Opa-locka, Florida. The plane apparently crashed approximately 45 minutes into the flight off the coast of Red Bays, North Andros.
Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft about 13 miles west of Andros Island at approximately 11:04 AM, according to a family statement cited by ABC News. Adverse weather conditions temporarily hampered search efforts, the Royal Bahamas Police Force noted in its statement.
ABC News identified the missing passengers as 80-year-old Mario Lamar Sr., 79-year-old Lili Lamar, 28-year-old Sofia Sosa, and 22-year-old Christian Sosa. The family statement indicated the aircraft was headed to Miami Executive Airport rather than Opa-locka.
Mario Lamar Sr. was piloting the aircraft and brought more than four decades of aviation experience to the flight, according to the family statement. The cause of the apparent crash remains unknown at this time.
The family has issued an urgent appeal for Bahamian officials and all relevant agencies to coordinate their efforts and deploy every available resource to locate the aircraft and its four occupants as quickly as possible.
The search continues as authorities work to determine what caused the experienced pilot to lose contact with air traffic control during what should have been a routine flight across the waters between the Bahamas and Florida.
About the Author
Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
