11 Found Alive After Plane Crashes Into Atlantic Ocean
- Eleven people have survived after a private plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast in the United States
- Rescue teams launched an emergency operation after a distress signal triggered a coordinated air-sea response effort
- Survivors were found inside a life raft after drifting for hours before the helicopter evacuation was completed
Florida, United States - Eleven people have survived after a private plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
The twin-engine aircraft had taken off from the Bahamas on Tuesday, May 12, before going down about 80 miles from Melbourne, Florida, according to the US Coast Guard.
Source: Twitter
As stated by Reuters, an emergency signal from the aircraft alerted rescue teams, who quickly launched a 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.
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.
Helicopter rescue ends with fuel running out
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.
Officials have, however, 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.
Source: Twitter
Plane crash-lands in Indian Ocean
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that 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.
The pilot reportedly returned to Mogadishu for an emergency landing but overshot the runway. The aircraft eventually came to rest near the shoreline.
All passengers and crew members survived the incident, with authorities confirming that no serious injuries were recorded during the emergency landing.
Passenger recounts Air Canada crash horror
Legit.ng previously reported that a passenger aboard an Air Canada CRJ-900 aircraft involved in a fatal crash at LaGuardia Airport shared her account of the incident, which left two pilots dead after a collision with a fire truck.
The passenger, Rebecca Liquori, said the aircraft experienced severe turbulence during descent and recalled a loud impact.
Source: Legit.ng
