Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

A5
U.S. NEWS Monday 6 august 2018
Rescuers search

for crashed plane in

Alaska national park

By ANDREW SELSKY in the air."
Peering through low cloud Thunder Mountain is a
cover, rescuers aboard a knife-edge ridge rising
military aircraft on Sunday about 3,000 feet (915 me-
were attempting to find ters) above two glaciers, 14
a sightseeing plane that miles (23 kilometers) south-
crashed with the pilot and west of the summit of De- In this Aug. 26, 2016, file photo sightseeing buses and tourists are
four passengers aboard a nali, North America's high- seen at a pullout popular for taking in views of North America's
day earlier in Alaska, high est peak. The plane was re- tallest peak, Denali, in Denali National Park and Preserve,
on a mountain ridge in De- portedly carrying sleeping Alaska. Associated Press
nali National Park and Pre- bags, a stove, a pot, food
serve. and first-aid kit, Belcher downed plane can help nali National Park are like
The pilot reported on his said in a statement. with the search, Olmstead no others in the world. Be-
satellite phone Saturday An Air Guard HC-130 was said. neath the towering moun-
that there were injuries, flying over coordinates A spokeswoman for K2 tain peaks, you'll under-
but authorities couldn't get that came from the plane's Aviation said she had no stand why these immense
details before the satel- emergency locator trans- comment. The company, ice fields attract people
lite connection dropped. mitter and were offered based in Talkeetna, Alaska, from all over the globe,"
Some 20 hours after the by the pilot, said Lt. Col. offers glacier landings. K2 Aviation says on its
de Havilland Beaver plane Candis Olmstead of the "The glaciers found in De- website.q
went down around 6 p.m. Alaska National Guard. The
near the summit of 10,900- plane's ELT beacon alerted
foot (3,300-meter) -high the Alaska Rescue Coor-
Thunder Mountain, there dination Center around 6
was still no word on their p.m. Saturday.
condition. "Searchers don't have eyes
The tourists, whose identi- on aircraft yet because of
ties and nationalities have cloud cover between them
not been released, and pi- and the aircraft," Olmstead
lot had to spend the night said Sunday.
on the mountain. An Air Guard HH-60 Pave
"There's definitely low cloud Hawk helicopter with a res-
cover," park spokeswoman cue crew, a National Park
Katherine Belcher said in a Service helicopter and an-
telephone interview. "We're other plane owned by the
waiting for an update from private tour company, K2
the HC-130 crew that's up Aviation, that operates the