Sri Lanka, Feb. 7 -- Authorities are searching for a Bering Air passenger plane with 10 people on board that was reported missing while en route from Unalakleet to Nome, Alaska's Department of Public Safety said on Thursday.

The small turboprop Cessna Caravan plane had nine passengers and one pilot on board, the agency said on its website, adding that crews were working to get its last-known coordinates.

A disproportionate number of air taxi and commuter plane accidents occur in Alaska compared to other U.S. states, the U.S. government's National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health says.

Alaska has mountainous terrain and challenging weather. Many villages are not connected by roads and small planes are used to transport people...