Medical jet carrying six vanishes over Atlantic as debris field found south of Nantucket

A medical evacuation jet carrying six people has disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean after the crew declared an emergency and lost contact with air traffic control moments later. The Gulfstream G100 was travelling from Bermuda to Boston when it vanished from radar, prompting an immediate search-and-rescue operation.

The US Coast Guard has since located a debris field south of Nantucket island, raising grave fears for those on board. Flight data recovered before contact was lost painted a troubling picture of the aircraft's final minutes, showing the jet plunged at least 9,000 feet over the course of two minutes before appearing to level off for several more minutes, after which it disappeared entirely.

Authorities have released chilling cockpit audio from the moments before the aircraft vanished, in which a controller appears to question whether the crew was flying without visual references. The cause of the disappearance has not yet been confirmed, and the search operation is continuing.