RIO DE JANEIRO, DEC. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government offered assistance to Chile on Tuesday in search of the Chilean Air Force plane which went missing on its way to Antarctica.

The aircraft, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules model, departed an Air Force base in Punta Arenas for Chile's Antarctica base. It disappeared from radars on Monday evening and, given the lack of news since then, is believed to have fallen into the sea at the Drake Passage, an area renowned for its stormy weather between the Atlantic and the Southern Oceans.

According to the Chilean authorities, there were 38 people aboard -- 17 crew members and 21 passengers. Finding survivors is highly unlikely at this point, but search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said earlier in the day that he had made a phone call to his Chilean counterpart Sebastian Pinera to offer assistance in the search efforts.

Later on, in a foreign ministry statement, the Brazilian government expressed consternation and solidarity with Chile over the incident and confirmed that the Brazilian Navy's oceanographic research ship Almirante Maximiano, which was already near the area where the plane went missing, will join the search efforts. In addition, the use of Air Force planes with special equipment was also offered.