Small Plane Disappears During Flight from Bahamas to Miami; Hispanic Family on Board
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Authorities have launched an intense search and rescue operation after an aircraft with four people on board lost communication while en route from the Bahamas to South Florida. So far, officials have not confirmed the identities of the occupants, but preliminary reports from the family indicate that it includes a Hispanic couple and their two grandchildren. They have been identified as 80-year-old Mario Lamar, 79-year-old Lili Lamar, 28-year-old Sofía Sosa, and 22-year-old Christian Sosa. The family had spent the weekend at their second home in Great Harbour Cay and were returning to South Florida on Monday. The Bahamas Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) reported that it is investigating an incident involving a Piper PA-34 aircraft with U.S. registration N212ML. According to authorities, the aircraft took off from Great Harbour Cay Airport at 10:12 a.m. bound for Miami Executive Airport but lost contact with Miami Air Traffic Control during the flight. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed on social media that it is collaborating with Bahamian authorities in the search for the aircraft, which may have gone down approximately 15 miles from Andros Island. Mario Lamar, an experienced pilot with over 40 years of flying experience, was piloting the aircraft with his wife, Lili, and their grandchildren, Christian and Sofi, on board. The last recorded contact occurred around 11:04 a.m., near the western side of Andros Island, according to the family. In a video sent to Telemundo 51 by Silvia Larrieu, Mario Lamar's niece, the family is asking for help from aircraft or boats that can assist in the search and urges anyone who may have seen something to inform the authorities. Just before takeoff, the mother of the two young adults received a text message from her daughter. However, as time passed without any notice of their landing, and seeing that the message did not even finish sending, the family began to alert the authorities. The last known position of the plane was over waters west of North Andros, Bahamas. Initial searches conducted by the Coast Guard in that area have not yielded results so far. An HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft is participating in the rescue efforts. The AAIA stated that the investigation is ongoing and more details will be released as the search and rescue operations progress.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
