Plane carrying 17 crew members and 21 passengers ‘lost radio communication’ after taking off from Punta Arenas city.

A Chilean military plane with 38 people on board “lost radio communication”, after taking off from the south of the country for a base in Antarctica, Chile’s Air Force said on Tuesday.

The C-130 Hercules took off at 16:55 local time (19:55 GMT) from the city of Punta Arenas on Monday to the President Eduardo Frei Antarctic Base, it lost contact at 18:13 local time (21:13 GMT), Chile’s Air Force said in a statement.

The plane carried 17 crew members and 21 passengers, including three civilians. The personnel were to check on a floating fuel supply line and other equipment at the Chilean base.

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President Sebastian Pinera said in a tweet that he would fly to Punta Arenas along with Interior Minister Gonzalo Blumel.

Once there, they would meet up with Defence Minister Alberto Espina to monitor the search and rescue mission.

Drake’s Passage, where the plane went missing, is infamous for severe weather conditions, including freezing temperatures and ferocious storms. But the air force said late on Monday that the weather was good when the plane began its flight, or the mission would not have been carried out.

Gráfica que complementa Comunicado de Prensa #FACh pic.twitter.com/Elcbaudk48

Translation: Graphic that complements the Press Release, Chilean’s Air Force. 

General Eduardo Mosqueira of the Fourth Air Brigade told local media that a search was under way and a ship was in the general area where the plane should have been when contact was lost.

Mosqueira said the aircraft would have been about halfway to the Antarctic base when it lost contact. No emergency signals had been activated, he said.

He said the plane, whose pilot had extensive experience, had been scheduled to return on Monday night.

The four-engine plane primarily carried out logistical support tasks and transferred personnel to the Antarctic base in order to inspect the base’s floating fuel supply pipeline and to carry out anti-corrosive treatment of the facility.

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