Chile’s Air Force says a military plane with 38 people on board has disappeared en route to Antarctica. Those missing include 17 crew members and 21 passengers.

The C-130 Hercules transport aircraft took off from Punta Arenas at 16:55 local time and operators lost contact at 18:13 hrs. A search-and-rescue mission is under way.

The occupants of the plane were said to be travelling to provide logistical support to a military base on Antarctica’s King George Island.

Air Force General, Eduardo Mosqueira told local media that the plane did not activate any distress signal, adding that the plane, whose pilot had extensive experience may have been forced to touch down on water.

An air force statement said that the plane was about 450 miles into its 770-mile journey when contact was lost, placing it within the Drake Passage.

The Drake Passage is a body of water which connects the South Atlantic and South Pacific oceans. It is known for treacherous weather conditions but Chile’s Air Force said local weather was good at the time of the plane’s disappearance.

It also maintained that the plane would have had enough fuel to keep it  airborne until 00:40.

Among the passengers are Chilean soldiers, two civilians employed by engineering and construction firm, Inproser who were going to carry out work on the military base and the remaining 15 passengers are members of the Air Force.

Eight planes and four ships are taking part in the search operation which began with an initial over-flight of the area where communication was lost. It however failed to yield any sign of the missing plane.

Chile controls over 1.2 million sq km of Antarctic territory, with large swathes of land also claimed by the United Kingdom and Argentina. Within this territory, it operates nine bases, the most for any country in the world.