Missouri Governor Carnahan feared dead in plane crash

Governor Carnahan

HILLSBORO, Missouri (CNN) -- Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan, his son and a top aide were feared dead Monday night in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed hours earlier.

More than 100 emergency workers were searching through the scattered wreckage of the light aircraft that went down in rain and fog in a wooded area in Jefferson County about 7:30 p.m.

A source close to Carnahan's office told CNN that the plane was carrying the governor; his son, Roger "Randy" Carnahan, who was piloting the plane; and Chris Sifford, a longtime aide.

Carnahan, 66, a Democrat who has been governor of Missouri for eight years, is running for the Senate and is locked in a tight race with incumbent Republican Sen. John Ashcroft.

Two others on board

The governor and the other two men were aboard a small, private plane that had been headed for a campaign stop in New Madrid, Missouri.

Kansas City Flight Service said the governor's plane took off at 7:06 p.m. from St. Louis Downtown-Parks Airport for New Madrid, where the governor was due to attend a fundraiser, St. Louis television station KMOV reported.

But Carnahan did not attend that event, and members of his staff said they did not know his whereabouts.

Capt. Ed Camp of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said wreckage from the twin-engine Cessna has been found, "but it's in very small pieces because it's a heavily wooded and rocky terrain and it's spread over a large area."

No official confirmation

Roy Temple, chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party, confirmed that Carnahan's plane was missing, KMOV reported.

Temple did not confirm whether the governor was on board the plane that went down.

Camp said no bodies had been found. "It's still a rescue effort, " he said.

CNN Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Missouri Governor's Office
AirNav: St Louis Downtown - Parks Airport
Jefferson County Sheriffs Department, Missouri
KMOV.com Channel 4 St. Louis
Missouri Democratic Party

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