Miami — A small aircraft carrying four members of the same family disappeared Monday while returning to Florida from the Bahamas, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and Bahamian authorities.
Bahamas police said the plane departed Great Harbour Cay at approximately 10:12 a.m. and was bound for Miami Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County. In a statement released by the family, relatives said the aircraft’s last known contact came at 11:04 a.m. near the western side of Andros Island.
“Police on the island of Andros are coordinating efforts to locate an aircraft believed to have crash-landed off the coast of Red Bays, North Andros,” Bahamas police said.
A relative told the Miami Herald that those aboard were 80-year-old pilot Mario Lamar; his wife, Lili Lamar, 79; and two of their grandchildren, Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22. A spokesperson for the family said Mario Lamar has more than four decades of flying experience.
“Please help,” Silvia Larrieu, Mario and Lili’s niece, pleaded in a video statement cited by the Herald. “I ask anybody out there, if you can help with search-and-rescue efforts, we would greatly appreciate it. We need to bring them home.”
The family of those on board asked for fishermen, boaters, pilots or residents of Andros Island to contact authorities with any information. “Every piece of information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could be important,” they said.
“The Lamar and Sosa families are deeply grateful to everyone participating in the search and to those who have reached out with support,” the families said in a statement. “They ask the community to keep Mario, Lili, Christian and Sofi in their thoughts and prayers and respectfully request privacy as they await further information.”
Bahamas police identified the plane as a PA-34 Piper five-seater aircraft, with tail number N212ML. It said it departed Great Harbour Cay, a city in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas.
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Photo courtesy of Silvi Larrieu
Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft when it was about 13 miles west of Andros Island, Bahamas police said.
Bahamian officials contacted the U.S. Coast Guard at about 2 p.m. and requested assistance finding a downed plane, a spokesperson said.
“Southeast District command center watchstanders coordinated the launch of an HC-144 Ocean Sentry to assist Bahamian authorities with the search,” the spokesperson said.
The search had to be suspended due to bad weather, Bahamas police said. It wasn’t clear when it would resume.