Crews in Alaska are searching for a plane that went missing with 10 people on board while over Norton Sound off Nome.

The Bering Air plane was reported missing on its way from Unalakleet to Nome, remote communities south of the Arctic Circle.

Federal and local authorities said late Thursday they are searching for a plane with 10 people aboard that has gone missing in western Alaska.

A search is underway in Alaska after a plane with 10 people on board did not arrive in Nome when scheduled, officials said. The Bering Air Caravan flight, from Unalakleet to Nome, was reported overdue to Alaska State Troopers at 4 p.m. local time, the law enforcement agency said. Nine passengers and a pilot were on board, officials said.

The plane was reported as "overdue" as it hasn't yet been classified as a crash or accident, but medics are on standby in case this changes.

Nome, steeped in history as a famed Gold Rush town near the Arctic Circle, is renowned as the finishing line for the gruelling 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Bering Air, an Alaskan commercial airline, has been contacted for comment.

Bering Air flight from Unalakleet to Nome reported overdue, prompting air and ground search efforts under challenging weather conditions, say media reports - Anadolu Ajansı