Officials say an airplane carrying 10 people is missing after taking off from an airport in southern Chile.

Air Force Gen. Hugo Pena says the Cessna 208 Caravan took off early Saturday afternoon from the Puerto Montt airport 650 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of Santiago. It has been missing for several hours.

The plane belongs to Patagonia Airlines, a small regional airline.

It was heading south to the town of La Junta in the Aysen region with a pilot and nine passengers.

The search by air force and civilian pilots was suspended as darkness fell but Pena says it will resume Sunday.