US coastguard suspends search for six on board crashed medical jet

What the report says

The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for six people believed to have died after a medical transport jet crashed off the coast of Massachusetts, near Nantucket Island, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AP and Reuters. The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 air ambulance, was traveling from Bermuda to Boston when contact was lost early Saturday. Debris later found off Nantucket was confirmed by authorities to have come from the plane.

The flight carried two pilots, two medical staff members, a patient and the patient’s relative. Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance said the four crew members were Canadian, while the two passengers were Bermudian. In a statement cited by Al Jazeera, the company said the end of the search-and-rescue effort meant the six people aboard are now presumed dead.

Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, who leads the Coast Guard’s Northeast District, said the decision to suspend the search was difficult. Officials said crews spent about 66 hours searching by air and sea over a broad area before winding down operations. The water near the debris was reported to be about 80 to 90 feet deep.

Authorities have not said what caused the crash. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descending sharply before air traffic controllers were unable to regain contact, and the case now shifts from rescue efforts to investigation. The incident is a reminder of the risks involved in air ambulance operations, which often move patients across international routes.