Chilling history of 'Alaskan triangle' as major search underway after flight carrying 10 people vanished

The search continues for 10 people who were on board a plane that went missing over Alaska, a part of the world with a long history of tragic incidents.

A Cessna 208B was flying from Unalakleet to Nome with a pilot and nine passengers on board when it went missing yesterday afternoon (6 February).

The flight normally takes 55 minutes and is a relatively short trip, so when the plan was reported as overdue for its arrival, officials started to worry.

10 people were on board the plane that went missing. (Hasan Akbas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

While the ground search was launched, weather conditions limited what could be done in the air, while the coastguard has also been alerted as last contact with the aircraft was made when it was 12 miles off shore.

This latest aviation disaster follows the tragic crash between an American Airlines passenger plane and a US army helicopter near Washington DC, and an air ambulance crashing into a Philadelphia street shortly after taking off.

Alaska is a dangerous place with a somewhat worrying reputation for people going missing, leading to mention of the rise of an 'Alaskan Triangle'.

This space is apparently between Utqiagvik, Anchorage, and Juneau and as many as 20,000 people are claimed to have gone missing there since the 1970s, according to the History Channel.

The area was first flagged as a space for concern in 1972 when a small plane with four people on board disappeared as it flew from Anchorage to Juneau.

Despite extensive search efforts, the aircraft and the people travelling in it were never found. One hopes that is not the fate of the Cessna 208B and the 10 people on board it that went missing yesterday.

The terrain and weather of the US state make it a difficult area to find someone in, just as the Alaskan weather has impacted the first search efforts for those 10 who went missing.

While the plane's journey is outside the 'Alaskan Triangle' zone, the weather did hamper efforts to search for it, and the missing flight had to travel through fog and light snow.

The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said they were conducting searches on the ground, but were 'limited on air search' due to adverse weather and told people not to go out looking outside the official search efforts.

They said: "We are currently doing an active ground search from Nome and from White Mountain.

"We ask the public to please think of those who may be missing at this time, but due to weather and safety concerns please do not form individual search parties."

In an update, they later said that 'crews are still searching on the ground, canvassing as much area as possible', but sadly they 'do not have any updated information'.