The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air. The aircraft was 12 miles (19 kilometers) offshore, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A Bering Air flight with 10 people onboard went missing over Nome, Alaska, late on Thursday, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said.

The plane operated by Bering Air was carrying nine passengers and a pilot from Unalakleet to Nome in western Alaska when it went missing about 12 miles offshore, officials say.