Rescue workers and volunteers combed a mountainous area of western Panama Tuesday in search of three U.S. citizens and a Panamanian pilot whose small plane went missing over the weekend, according to AP. But dense tropical foliage, mountainous terrain and heavy rains were making air and land searches in the Chiriqui province extremely difficult, said Roberto Rolando Rodriguez, a spokesman for the agency that overseas the nation's air security. The group's plane disappeared after taking off Sunday morning from Islas Secas off Panama's Pacific coast, heading for the Chiriqui volcano, about 285 miles (460 kilometers) west of the capital. The flight normally would have taken about 45 minutes, but controllers lost contact with the craft at about noon on Sunday. Rain and fog hampered the search for the missing plane on Monday, and the U.S. Embassy in Panama was closed for the holidays, making it difficult for Kim Klein and others to get help. Panama's Civil Protection department said searchers flew over the area twice Tuesday morning without any luck. «The weather is closing the area off completely,» Director Armando Palacios said in a radio interview. Klein said she is offering US$25,000 (¤17,400) to anyone who can locate the aircraft. «We really need anyone we can find to give us some ground help, any assistance to find them,» Klein said.
