U.S. Coast Guard personnel have rescued 11 people from the sea after an aircraft crashed into the water 80 km off Melbourne, Fla., the government agency said in a statement Tuesday.
“A U.S. Air Force 920th Air Rescue Wing HH-60W Jolly Green helicopter crew hoisted the 11 people from a life raft. They were flown to awaiting emergency medical services at Melbourne Orlando International Airport in stable condition,” it read.
The Bahamian aircraft went down following engine failure at around 12:05 p.m. Tuesday. Bahamian authorities will investigate the cause of the incident, according to the coast guard.
The pilot had declared an emergency, and then communication with the aircraft was lost, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority in the Bahamas said in a media post, as reported by the Associated Press.
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The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple Bahamian agencies were involved in the ensuing search-and-rescue operation.
The plane took off from Marsh Harbour Airport in the Bahamas and was headed to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport, also in the Bahamas.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched a C-27 aircraft to look for the downed Beechcraft 300 King Air turboprop plane. The rescued passengers were brought in for medical evaluations, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Rescue staff called the rescue “miraculous,” telling reporters that the survivors were already in a life raft and sheltering under a tarp by the time search and rescue arrived, NBC News reported.
“They had already been in the water, in the raft, for about five hours and you could tell just by looking at them that they were in distress, physically, mentally, emotionally,” Capt. Rory Whipple, an Air Force reservist sent to the scene, told the U.S. outlet.
“They didn’t even know that we were coming until we were directly overhead,” Whipple added. “So you have to imagine the emotional injuries that they sustained out there and not knowing if someone’s going to rescue them.”
Air Force Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty added that the survivors had no way to call for help, but that the aircraft’s emergency transmitter beacon led rescuers to the scene, where the victims were given food and supplies until the rescue operation was complete.
“They were able to spread out their food and water and some basic survival tools,” Piowaty told NBC News. “So giving them that extra hope that we were overhead and we were going to provide rescue for them, I’m sure, was a great relief.”
Master Chief Petty Officer Omar Colon commended the work of the rescue teams, saying, “The outstanding support from Patrick Space Force Base and the seamless coordination among all responding agencies directly contributed to the successful rescue of 11 survivors from the downed aircraft.”
“Their rapid response, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to saving lives were instrumental in bringing everyone home safely,” he concluded.
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