2 Passengers of Alaska Plane Crash Identified as Utility Workers: ‘They Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice for the People We Serve’

Mar. 15, 2025

Alaska U.S. Coast Guard/X

Some of the passengers aboard the Bering Air plane that wentmissing outside Nome, Alaska, on Feb. 6 were utility workers who worked with a local nonprofit health organization.

The organization’s interim president and CEO Natasha Singh said in a statement to the outlet that the pair had been flying back from Unalakleet after helping to “address heating and mechanical issues” that rural residents were having “in the depths of winter.”

“[They] were passionate about the work they did, cared deeply for the communities they served, and made a lasting impact on rural communities across our state,” Singh said.

The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.Google Maps

Google Maps

“They gave the ultimate sacrifice for the people we serve in the work we do,” she added. “Everyone at ANTHC feels a sense of shock and loss because they were so crucial to our Rural Energy and Tribal Support teams. My thoughts are with their families, the people who worked alongside them day in and day out, and for everyone else who lost a loved one today.”

PEOPLE reached out to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium for comment but did not immediately hear back on Feb. 8.

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The Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) shared in astatementon Feb. 7 that several local and government organizations were conducting search efforts for the plane, which had been en route from Unalakleet to Nome at around 4 p.m. with nine passengers and one pilot onboard.

The United States Coast Guard shared in a post onXlater that day that they “located an aircraft matching the description of the missing plane approx. 34 miles southeast of Nome.” They also noted that “3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased.”

In an update, the U.S. Coast Guardtweetedthat “the remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane.”

source: people.com