A SEARCH was under way last night for a small plane carrying four British businessmen which vanished without trace off the coast of Brazil.
Ellen Duarte, business manager for the Aero Star airline, said the twin-engine Cessna 310 disappeared eight miles off the coast just nine minutes before it was due to land in the city of Ilheus on Friday.
The Foreign Office has named the men as Al
an Kempson, Sean Woodall, Ricky Every and Nigel Hodges.
A spokeswoman said: "I can confirm that there were four passengers, all four of whom were British, and two pilots."
All the men's next of kin have been informed, the spokeswoman said. The businessmen were in the tourist real estate business, and looking into buying hotels and condominiums in the north-east of the country.
It is understood that three of the four do not live in the UK, but no other details about the men are currently available, the Foreign Office added.
Four aircraft were involved in yesterday's search for the Cessna, which made its last call to air traffic controllers when it was 15 miles from its destination.
Duarte said weather conditions were good at the time and the two Brazilian pilots had not reported any problems with the plane. "It was flying perfectly," she added. "The pilot said that he was making a visual approach to the airport, and that was the last we heard."
She said the Cessna made its final contact with the Ilheus control tower at 9.45pm (GMT) as it flew south from Salvador.
Brazilian authorities are also understood to be speaking to witnesses who have said they saw a plane crash.
Edylson Pereira dos Santos, superintendent of Brazil's Infraero airport authority, said: "Some people reported they saw a plane crash, but we have no confirmation yet."
Brazil's coastguard and three Aero Star helicopters have had a fruitless search for signs of a crash off the Brazilian coast. Bahia state police and air rescue are helping in the operation.
The British consulate in the capital Sao Paulo had been notified. A Foreign Office spokeswoman in London said officials had been sent to the area to provide assistance.
Ilheus is a major city of 220,000 people located in the north-east of the southern coastal region of Bahia, 270 miles south of Salvador, the state's capital. With beautiful tropical beaches and a rich cultural heritage, it is known as one of the most important tourism centres of north-east Brazil.
Its excellent hotels and leisure facilities are a magnet for both Brazilian and overseas tourists. The area is undergoing rapid expansion of its tourism industry with help from foreign investors.
Set up in 1995, Aero Star is a small charter firm based in Salvador, Bahia's state capital, and has a fleet of nine planes offering scenic flights out of Salvador airport, as well as charter services around Brazil.
The company's website says its pilots have more than 10,000 hours of flying experience.
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