Swedish authorities have launched a major search-and-rescue operation after a private jet crashed into the sea off the coast of Latvia, Swedish and German media report. The jet, which took off from southern Spain on Sunday, reportedly flew over several European nations with supposedly no one in the cockpit, according to the media reports.
The private jet, identified by the German tabloid Bild as a US-made Cessna aircraft, was heading from the southern Spanish city of Jerez to Germany’s Cologne. According to the media, at least six people were onboard, including a pilot, a man, a woman and a young girl. Their identities have not been made public so far.
The pilot reported some “air pressure issues” in the cockpit soon after takeoff but the jet continued its flight, according to Bild. Air traffic control officers lost contact with the aircraft at some point as it was over the territory of southern France, according to the media. French and Spanish fighter jets were then scrambled to check up on the plane.