Oil slick detected after private plane crashes near Jamaica

KINGSTON - An oil slick has been detected on the waters where a private plane crashed off the coast of Jamaica Friday while the wreckage of the plane has not be found, Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) said Friday evening.

There have been no reports of the wreckage, since the waters around the crash site is about 1,500 meters to 2,000 meters deep, which is beyond regular observation, Commander of the JDF Coast Guard Antoinette Gorman told a press conference Friday evening.

She said the search and rescue work was affected with the falling of the night, but the vessels will stay at the area and resume their work as long as the light conditions permit.

The crashed plane, with at least two persons on board, crashed 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) northeast of the coastal town of Port Antonio.

The last contact between the plane and the air traffic controllers was at 10:00 local time (1500 GMT) on Friday.

A search and rescue team with a fixed wing aircraft, a helicopter, two patrol vessels and rescue swimmers have been dispatched to the site of the accident.

The crashed aircraft is reported to be a Socata TBM700, a high performance single-engine turboprop light business and utility aircraft, which was scheduled to fly from Rochester, New York to Naples, Florida.

The JDF said it has allowed the US team to join the search and a vessel from the US is expected to arrive at the crash site on Saturday.

Related: Plane with unresponsive pilot crashes off Jamaica