Rescuers to end search for plane missing with two aboard in southeastern B.C.

VICTORIA – Rescuers are ending the search for a small plane with two people aboard that disappeared more than a week ago while flying over southeastern British Columbia.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria says in statement that crews made the difficult decision to suspend the exhaustive operation as of Monday afternoon.

Police have said 28-year-old pilot Dominic Neron and 31-year-old passenger Ashley Bourgeault were flying from Penticton to Edmonton on Nov. 25 when the single-engine aircraft vanished.

The rescue centre says aircraft with the Royal Canadian Air Force and Parks Canada have spent about 120 hours in challenging conditions covering a search area of more than 22,000 square kilometres.

Rescue centre spokeswoman Katelyn Moores has previously said the search was narrowed to a region 18 kilometres outside Revelstoke based on information from radar and a cellphone tower that picked up a signal from the pilot's phone.

The disappearance is being transferred to the RCMP.