Antarctic search for Canadian plane suspended again

WELLINGTON (AFP) - Bad weather on Friday forced rescuers to suspend a search in Antarctica for a plane missing with three Canadians aboard, again frustrating plans to try to reach the downed aircraft.

High winds and heavy cloud cover have hampered efforts to find the Twin Otter, which went missing in a remote mountain range on Wednesday while on a supply run from the South Pole to Italy's Antarctic base at Terra Nova Bay.

After the search was temporarily called off due to weather conditions late on Thursday, a second Twin Otter left the US McMurdo base on Friday morning to try to spot the plane, the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said.

But it said the aircraft had to turn back in the face of 170kmh winds, adding: "No further flights will take place until conditions improve."