Residents of Nantucket, Massachusetts close to where an aircraft with six people including two Bermudians went missing last weekend, expressed sadness and hope that the plane and bodies would be recovered.

Some said they were confident that the authorities will find the plane — a Canadian registered Gulfstream model aircraft operated by Latitude Air Ambulance.

Jamie Hussey, a resident of the small island of about 15,000 people, said he initially heard about the incident through social media.

“It’s terrible what happened, I saw it first on my phone and then here at the port people were talking about it,” he said.

Mr Hussey added that thanks to the tight-knit nature of the island, information circulates quickly and residents were hopeful that the plane and its occupants were safe.

“Then we saw the coastguard called [the search] off but I think they could have waited a bit more and widened it a bit,” he added.

Debris from the Gulfstream G100 aircraft, bearing registration C-GRJ, was found by a civilian vessel off Nantucket on Sunday, the US Coast Guard confirmed.

At the busy port of Straight Wharf, where the ferry docks from the mainland at the town of Hyannis, Michelle Folger said this week that she heard about the incident while travelling across to an event in Boston over the weekend.

“By Saturday night it was all over the local news, my only thoughts are on the families of those on board,” she added.

An information officer at Straight Wharf on Nantucket told The Royal Gazette that search teams were out over the weekend scouring the waters off the south of the island in search of the missing plane.

She said information received was that debris was found about 15 miles off the south of Nantucket by occupants of a local vessel. Nantucket is situated about 29 miles off the Massachusetts mainland.

Local police and teams from the US Coast Guard were searching Surfside Beach and other bays around the southern section of the island.

The information officer added: “I was just a minute ago reading more about the family in Bermuda and it must be terrible for the community, we offer our sympathies.

“I’ve been to Bermuda four times, the people are very nice so this must have been hard on the whole community.”

At the Nantucket Harbourmaster office on Washington Street, an official said local teams were involved in the search over the weekend.

He was unable to say what was the latest status of the search.

An investigation into the tragedy is being handled by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

The Bermuda Police Service said earlier that a family liaison officer was working with the relatives of Marilyn Lavonne Bean, 66 and her son, Sergio Wayne Lottimore, 41 who were among six people on board the flight.

The US Coast Guard said Canadians Philip Gregory Childerhose, Thomas Henry Farquhar, Sarah Jane Paton and Jolene Beth Weir were the other occupants of the jet.

The TSB said the investigation into the incident would be conducted by the state of registry of the aircraft, which is Canada, in line with international agreements.

It will be assisted by the US National Transportation Safety Board as accredited representatives. The NTSB said it continues to monitor the situation.

After a wide-ranging investigation throughout the weekend, the search was suspended on Sunday night.

The US Coast Guard had, since Saturday, been looking for the air ambulance, focusing on a debris field confirmed to be from the aircraft.

Latitude added that it would continue to co-operate fully with the US and Canadian transportation authorities as well as all other relevant authorities as recovery efforts and the investigation proceeded.

It also said it was grateful to all of those who worked “tirelessly” in the search for those aboard Heartbeat 104.