Coast Guard suspends search for people on crashed medical aircraft

The ​US Coast Guard has ​halted its search for six ‌people who ​were on a medical transport aircraft that crashed off the coast of Massachusetts' ‌Nantucket Island.

"Suspending a search is not an easy decision," said Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, commander of the Coast Guard's Northeast District, in a ‌statement on Sunday. "We express our deepest condolences to the families ‌and loved ones affected by the tragedy and our gratitude for our partner agencies who helped support search efforts." The Coast Guard said that after it ⁠found ​debris late on Saturday ⁠from a Gulfstream jet traveling to Boston from Bermuda, it searched for ⁠the passengers and crew on Sunday with aircraft and vessels on the ​water.

The aircraft, registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, left Bermuda at ⁠12:41 a.m. on Saturday (0301 GMT), according to data from flight tracking website FlightAware. ⁠Officials ​said four Canadians and two citizens of Bermuda were on the plane, which was headed for Boston's Logan International ⁠Airport. Local TV station Boston 25 posted an audio clip of Logan's air ⁠traffic controller ⁠asking the Gulfstream pilot whether he was declaring an emergency. There was no response from the pilot.