Authorities received a distress signal from a small propeller plane that had to make an emergency landing on Tuesday morning. Fortunately, eleven people were able to be rescued after spending several hours clinging to a raft, following a plane crash off the coast of Florida in the United States, announced the U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday.
“They had been on the raft for about five hours. You only had to look at them to see that they were in distress,” said Rory Whipple, an Air Force officer, the day after during a press briefing.
“I don’t know anyone who has survived a forced landing in the ocean,” Whipple added. “They had no means of communication and therefore didn’t even know we were coming until we were directly above them.” A crew from the nearby Patrick Space Force Base air base, who was already in the air for a training exercise, joined the rescuers to locate the group.
In total, 11 Bahamian nationals, all adults, were rescued. An investigation has been opened by the Bahamas into the causes of the accident, believed to be an engine failure, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. “I don’t know anyone who has survived a forced landing in the ocean,” emphasized Air Force commander Elizabeth Piowaty. She further highlighted, “It is truly miraculous that all these people survived.”
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