Search continues for missing plane between Hope and Merritt, B.C.

Officials are hoping for a break in the weather as they continue to look for a small aircraftthat vanished in B.C. Thursday with two people on board.

TheCessna 182 vanished about an hour after leavingCalgary at approximately 9a.m. PT.

The aircraftwas flying a route fromKelowna, to Hope, to Boundary Bay with a planned landing in Nanaimo.

The rescue centrereceived an emergency locator alert around 11a.m. PT, with the signal coming from a point about 166kilometres northeast of Vancouver.

The centre launched anair responsefrom Canadian Forces Base Comox to look for the plane after receiving the alert.

Poor weather

Teams are searching between Merritt and Hope,not farfrom theCoquihallaHighway.

Lt.MelissaKia,with theJoint Rescue Coordination Centre, said it's an an extremely difficult, mountainous area with low-lying clouds.

"Our visibility is hampered," Kia said.

"Unfortunately, it's really limiting our abilities to get eyes on the ground."

Hope Search and Rescue was called in to help.

Team managerMario Levesque said the team hopes to expand its search area on Friday if the weather clears.

"It's all up to Mother Nature," he said. "It's up to her, what we do today."