Family members on Tuesday say they have recovered the body of one of the people aboard a small plane that vanished near the Bahamas with an elderly couple and their grandchildren aboard.
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Officials said four people were aboard the Piper PA-34 aircraft that departed after 10 a.m. Monday from the Great Harbour Cay Airport and lost contact while on its way to Miami Executive Airport.
They were identified by family members as 80-year-old Mario Lamar, his wife 79-year-old Lili Lamar and their grandchildren, 28-year-old Sofia Sosa and 22-year-old Christian Sosa. Mario Lamar was piloting the plane, family said.
U.S. Coast Guard officials confirmed it was collaborating with Bahamian authorities in the search for the aircraft that may have crashed into the sea approximately 15 miles from Andros Island. But the Royal Bahamas Police Force said Monday that the search was postponed due to inclement weather.
It was a civilian boat that found the body on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from family members.
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“At this time, one of our family members has been found deceased. Out of respect for our loved one and our family’s privacy, we are not releasing the individual’s name at this time,” the statement reads. “What is especially devastating is that a civilian, one of our own family members, was the person who located our loved one and had to bring their deceased relative onto their own boat. We are heartbroken and desperate. As of this moment, we are not aware of authorities actively searching the waters for our remaining missing family members. We are begging for help.”
In their statement, loved ones plead for “anyone with a boat, anyone on the water, fishermen, members of the boating community, and other civilians who can safely assist to please help us search. At the same time, we are urgently pleading with the appropriate authorities to mobilize resources and assist in this search. Every minute matters. This is a family desperately trying to find their loved ones, and we should not have to do this alone.”
In a video sent to NBC6 and Telemundo 51 by Silvia Larrieu, Mario Lamar’s niece, the family asked for help from aircraft or boats that could assist in the search and urged people who may have seen anything to report it to the authorities.
“We are begging you to please help us with your prayers and with the authorities. Anyone who has seen anything or who can go out by plane or boat to help us find them. We haven’t lost hope that we will find them on a raft,” Larrieu said.
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