PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Authorities say they're still searching for three men who were aboard a single-engine plane that was reported missing in south Mississippi.

Coast Guard Capt. Brandon Lechthaler says searchers are working under the assumption that the three are alive.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday in Pascagoula, Lechthaler and two other law enforcement officers did not identify the men.

Lechthaler says it is "highly likely" that debris found on a beach in Ocean Springs was part of the plane that crashed.

The plane stopped for fuel at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and took off shortly after noon Monday. It was bound for South Carolina but was less than 50 miles east of the airport when it lost radar contact.