Rescue teams have launched a full-scale search after a light aircraft with two people on board crashed in the Irish Sea near Liverpool.
British police were contacted by air traffic controllers after receiving a report from a pilot having problems around two miles out to sea, just north of Wallasey, Merseyside, at around 12.45 p.m.
A Merseyside Police spokesman said the coastguard had launched a full-scale search involving police and RAF helicopters.
Since the pilot's last message no further contact had been received. No trace of the private aeroplane has yet been found which police were told had two people aboard.
A police spokesman said: "We had a report of a light aircraft coming down about two miles out to sea. "The pilot reported he was having problems although we have no further details as to the nature of the difficulty. At the moment we have a full-scale search under way which is being co-ordinated by the coastguard."
He added they had no further information on the aircraft's specification.