SANTIAGO, (BM) – A Chilean military transport aircraft carrying 38 passengers and crew has gone missing, losing radio contact on its way to a base in Antarctica, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, quoting RT.

The military lost contact with the plane, a C-130 Hercules transport craft, on Monday evening while it was traveling to the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva air base in Antarctica. The whereabouts and condition of those on board – of which 17 were crew members and the rest passengers – is not known.

17 tripulantes y 21 pasajeros: Avión de la Fach que viaja a la Antártida se encuentra inubicable https://t.co/CNUvYwMB1p — Edo / えど (@edowoo) December 10, 2019

The Chilean Air Force said it had assembled a “multidisciplinary search and rescue team” to locate the missing craft that had departed from Chabunco Air Base in the city of Punta Arenas on a routine support and maintenance mission.

MISSING AIRCRAFT Local media reporting an Aerovias DAP Avro RJ100 is enroute to search for missing Chilean Air Force C130 Hercules; heading from Chabunco Air Base, Chile to Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, Antarctica. 38 on board – 17 crew, 21 paxhttps://t.co/pbd6Edyo4g pic.twitter.com/YZUWgEtkDQ — Tom Podolec Aviation (@TomPodolec) December 10, 2019

The Eduardo Frei Montalva air base is the largest of Chile’s four permanent installations on the icy continent, where the country claims a slice of territory covering the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, and several other adjacent islands. The base is supported by the tiny commune of Villa Las Estrellas, which has a population of about 150 in the summer – between October and February – and only 80 for the rest of the year.

Follow us everywhere and at any time. BulgarianMilitary.com has responsive design and you can open the page from any computer, mobile devices or web browsers. For more up-to-date news from us, follow our YouTube, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook pages. Do not miss the chance to subscribe to our newsletter. Subscribe and read our stories in News360App in AppStore or GooglePlay or in FeedlyApp in AppStore or GooglePlay

>>Be a reporter: Write and send your article.<<

BulgarianMilitary.com

Source: RT