Rescue Operation Succeeds After Plane Crash
Eleven people have been found alive after a private twin-engine aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida, United States. The plane had taken off from the Bahamas on Tuesday, May 12, before going down approximately 80 miles from Melbourne, Florida, according to the US Coast Guard.
An emergency signal from the aircraft alerted rescue teams, who quickly launched a coordinated air-sea search operation. A US Air Force rescue plane that was already on a training mission nearby joined the effort almost immediately. Rescuers later found all 11 adults alive inside a life raft as a thunderstorm approached the area.
Air Force Major Elizabeth Piowaty said the team dropped food, water, and flotation supplies to help the survivors stay safe until a helicopter arrived. "For all those people to survive is pretty miraculous," Piowaty said.
Survivors Spent Hours at Sea
One of the rescue officers, Captain Rory Whipple, said the passengers had spent nearly five hours drifting at sea before help reached them. "We could tell just by looking at them they were in distress, physically, mentally, emotionally," he said.
The survivors were eventually lifted one after another into a rescue helicopter operated by the Air Force Reserve's 920th Rescue Wing and flown to Melbourne Orlando International Airport for treatment. Whipple revealed that the helicopter crew completed the mission with only five minutes of fuel remaining before they would have been forced to stop and refuel.
Investigation Underway
Officials have not yet shared details about the victims' injuries or medical conditions. While authorities in the Bahamas are investigating the cause of the crash, the Coast Guard said the aircraft was believed to have suffered engine failure before it went down. The plane had reportedly departed from Marsh Harbour and was heading to Freeport in the Bahamas when the incident happened.
In a related development, a Starsky Aviation passenger aircraft carrying 55 people crash-landed on the shoreline near Mogadishu International Airport after developing a technical fault shortly after take-off. All passengers and crew members survived that incident as well.
