4 dead, 1 missing in Alaska plane crash

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Latest on a sightseeing airplane crash at Alaska’s Denali National Park (all times local):

10:45 a.m.

The National Park Service says four people have died in the crash of a sightseeing airplane in Alaska’s Denali National Park after thick clouds hampered rescuers’ response to a distress call.

The agency says a fifth person aboard the plane carrying four Polish passengers is missing and presumed dead. Searchers reached the crash site in steep, icy terrain Monday.

The plane crashed around 6 p.m. Saturday near the top of a mountain ridge about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southwest of Denali, North America’s tallest mountain.

After the crash, the pilot reported by satellite phone that passengers suffered injuries. The satellite connection failed before he could give details.

Clouds and rain Sunday and earlier Monday prevented searchers from spotting the plane.

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8:30 a.m.

A search resumed Monday for an airplane that crashed on a mountain ridge in Alaska’s Denali National Park.

The National Park Service says the sightseeing flight was carrying a pilot and four passengers from Poland when it crashed early Saturday night.

A National Park Service high-altitude helicopter launched Monday morning along with an Air National Guard C-130 and Pave Hawk helicopters in an attempt to reach the crash site.

An Army Chinook helicopter from Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks also planned to launch with a ground crew onboard that can be inserted into a glacier staging area to assist with rescue operations.

The de Havilland Beaver flightseeing aircraft operated by K2 Aviation crashed near the summit of Thunder Mountain about roughly 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southwest of the summit of Denali.

AP-WF-08-06-18 1847GMT

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