Updated: A desperate search is underway for an elderly couple whose light aircraft vanished while flying from Tasmania to New South Wales on Saturday afternoon.
Rescue crews have spent the day combing Bass Strait and the Tasmanian coastline for any sign of the bright green, two-seater plane.
Tasmania Police Inspector Nick Clark said the aircraft was being flown by a man in his 70s, with a woman in her 60s on board as a passenger.
The pair from northern Tasmania disappeared after taking off from George Town Airport, bound for Central West New South Wales via Victoria to visit family members.
Inspector Clark said the alarm was raised on Saturday night when they failed to arrive at their destination. He said there were no distress calls made before the plane disappeared.
“This is still a search operation. We are hoping we find these people alive. That’s the main focus of the search at the moment,” Clark said on Sunday afternoon.
Search teams are concentrating on a section of Bass Strait identified by AMSA as the aircraft’s likely flight path, while Tasmania Police continue ground and water searches along the state’s north coast.
Clark said the pilot was “very experienced” but noted the aircraft was “relatively new to him”. He added the man was “heavily involved” in the local aviation community at George Town.
Police are urging the public for help, especially anyone along the coastline or travelling across Bass Strait, to keep an eye out for anything unusual, such as debris, a life jacket or parts of the aircraft.
Earlier: Premier Jeremy Rockliff has described the incident as an “absolute tragedy”.
“The hearts of all Tasmanians go out to the family, the friends and loved ones of those missing,” he said.
“This is an absolute tragedy and I pray and hope that there [is] some good news at the end of all this.”
Earlier: A major search operation is underway in the Bass Strait after a light aircraft with two Tasmanian residents on board failed to reach its mainland destination.
The plane took off from George Town Airport around 12:45pm on Saturday, bound for Leongatha in regional Victoria, with plans to continue on to Central Western NSW.
Authorities have confirmed they were alerted by family members around 5pm last night when the aircraft failed to arrive as expected.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is leading the operation, with Tasmania Police providing helicopter and vessel resources to search the coast near George Town.
“AMSA’s Melbourne rescue jet is conducting overwater searching of Bass Strait, supported by vessels, including Victoria Police,” a Tasmania Police spokesperson said.
“Residents in Tasmania’s north are advised there will be ongoing aerial search activities in the area today.”
Spirit of Tasmania operator TT-Line said the ferry was diverted to the last recorded location of the missing plane but was subsequently relieved from the operation.
George Town Airport, located around 50 kilometres north of Launceston, handles private and chartered aircraft.
