Human Remains Found During Missing Chilean Military Plane Search

Parts of a military transport plane that disappeared en route to Antarctica has been found, along with human remains, Chilean officials said.

Defence minister Alberto Espina also said at a news conference that they have found human remains from some of the 38 passengers who were aboard when the C-130 Hercules took off from southernmost Chile.

The C-130 Hercules departed on Monday afternoon from a base in far-southern Chile on a regular maintenance flight for an Antarctic base.

Radio contact was lost 70 minutes later.

Within several hours, the air force declared the plane a loss but it was not until Wednesday that a plane scanning the seas first spotted floating debris believed to be from the plane.

"Remains of human beings that are most likely the passengers have been found among several pieces of the plane," said air force general Arturo Merino.

Officials said they believe that all 38 people aboard the plane are dead, adding that it was nearly impossible to expect any survivors to be found.

The Ministry of Defence deployed a liaison team from Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands to Punta Arenas, to join a team from British Forces South Atlantic (BFSAI) -  the UK’s permanent presence on the overseas territory of the Falkland Islands.

The liaison team is supporting the Chilean authorities in co-ordinating the international search effort - whilst additional British air and naval assets remain on standby. 

An RAF A400M Atlas, stationed at BFSAI, later joined search efforts.

The MOD added that the RAF aircraft was to conduct its first specialist reconnaissance flight on Thursday with trained personnel searching for signs of the missing aircraft, with the liaison team acting in support.

Other nations that have been collaborating on the search effort include the United States, with a P-8 Poseidon joining multiple Brazilian aircraft and C-130s from Argentina and Uruguay - similar to the missing plane.

Cover image: Chilean Air Force.