FIVE DEAD, ONE MISSING AS TWO SEAPLANES COLLIDE IN US

WASHINGTON: Five people died and one person went missing on Monday after two floatplanes collided mid-air in Alaska while carrying passengers from a cruise ship’s sightseeing expedition, officials said.

Emergency rescue operations were under way after the two aircraft carrying 14 passengers from the Royal Princess ship crashed near Ketchikan, a popular tourist spot on southern Alaskan cruise routes surrounded by fjords and dense forests.

Four passengers and a pilot were killed, Princess Cruises said in a statement circulated by US media. Ten people were rescued and were receiving medical care. One of the wounded was in critical condition and three others were seriously injured, a spokesperson for Ketchikan Medical Center said.

The US Coast Guard said it had confirmed so far that four people were dead and it was searching for two others near George Inlet, along with help from volunteers and agencies including the US forest service and Alaska state troopers.