Chile Expands Search Operation for Missing Plane in Drake Sea

Chile's Armed Forces Wednesday announced that they are expanding the search operation for the Air Force C130 Hercules aircraft that disappeared on its way to Antarctica with 38 people on board on Monday. There are no clues to the location of the plane or indications of what happened so far.

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A greater number of officers will be involved in searching for the crashed plane in the Sea of Brake, which is one of the most turbulent areas of the planet.

Authorities reported that the search area has been also extended to 92 kilometers around the point where the plane sent its last transmission.

"The area we were looking for was circular. We have now expanded the area because winds and tides change," Fourth Air Brigadier General Eduardo Mosqueira said.

In addition to the participation of 20 Chilean airplanes, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil have also sent devices and people to locate the missing C130 Hercules aircraft.

Some civil vessels are also participating in the search operation at the Sea of Brake. Among them are the National Geographic Explorer vessel, the Hondius vessel, the Union Sur fishing vessel, and the Antarctic Endeavor vessel, as reported by Peruvian outlet El Comercio.

In the area where the Chilean military aircraft presumably crashed the tides are very strong because there are waves with heights ranging from 20 to 32 feet.

“The waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean converge in this area,” the University of Magallanes climatology director Nicolas Butorovic told Chilean outlet El Mercurio.

Additionally, the great depth of the seas and the atmospheric circulation produce sudden climatic changes, which places both airplanes and ships at the mercy of unpredictable circumstances.