US Coast Guard suspends search for 9 people missing after a float plane crashed into Washington’s Mutiny Bay

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Ten people, including a child, were on board the plane when it went down shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday, the US Coast Guard’s Pacific Northwest district said in a news release. Searches by the USCG and local agencies spanned about 2,100 nautical miles, the release added.
The body of one person has been recovered, the release said. Initial reports said nine people were on board.

“It is always difficult when it comes time to make a decision to stop searching,” Capt. Daniel Broadhurst, incident management branch chief for the 13th Coast Guard District, said in the release. “The hearts of all the first responders go out to those who lost a family member, a loved one, or a friend in the crash.”

Mutiny Bay is just west of Whidbey Island and about an hour north of Seattle.

USCG Pacific Northwest tweeted Sunday night that the plane was bound for Renton, Washington, despite earlier reports it was headed to Seattle Tacoma International Airport.

The Coast Guard dispatched rescue helicopters, boats and aircraft to conduct its search. First responders from South Whidbey Fire, the Island County Sheriff’s Office and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office were also on scene, the USCG release said.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the cause of the crash, according to the USCG.



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