Antarctica-bound plane with 38 onboard goes missing: Chile Air Force

Chile : The Chilean Air Force on Monday said that an Antarctica-bound cargo plane with 38 people on board has gone missing.

The Hercules C130 aircraft took off at 4:55 p.m. (1955 GMT) from the southern city of Punta Arenas and operators lost contact with it shortly after 6:00 p.m.

"On board the C130 Hercules are 38 people, of which 17 are crew members of the aircraft and 21 are passengers," the Air Force said in a statement.

Search and rescue teams have been deployed for the missing airplane with an official announcement made. 

The aircraft was traveling to perform logistical support tasks for the maintenance of Chilean facilities at the Antarctic base.