A massive search operation is under way after a light aircraft was reported missing with two people on board.
The small plane was believed to be travelling from central Scotland to the Hebridean island of Tiree when it dropped off radar yesterday afternoon.
Expert rescue teams, co-ordinated by Police Scotland, focused their efforts around Loch Etive near Oban in Argyll.
Lifeboat crews, helicopters and search teams, scoured both the shoreline and the surrounding hillside.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “Around 13:50 hours emergency services received a report of a light
aircraft, believed to be carrying two people, that had lost radar contact and was missing in the Bein Nan Luis, Glen Kinglass area of Argyll.
“A multi-agency response, coordinated by police Scotland, is under way to trace the plane and its occupants.”
The rescue operation was hampered by the sheer size of the search area.
Loch Etive is almost 20 miles long, and runs from the Highland village of Gualachulain to the sea three miles north of Oban.
At its deepest point, waters can sink to 150 metres, and it stretches to three-quarters of a mile in width.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that three teams were sent to the scene, with crews from both Oban and Loch Goil involved in the search.
The Oban RNLI lifeboat was also deployed but was stood down. They were initially called out following a report someone had seen a plane dive fast below hill level, but nothing was found.
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