US rescues 11 small plane crash survivors after hours on raft

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Miami: In a feat described by officials as ‘pretty miraculous,’ 11 survivors were rescued on Wednesday after their small plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The group, consisting of 11 Bahamian adults, spent five grueling hours clinging to a life raft approximately 80 miles off Melbourne, Florida, following a suspected engine failure.

The rescue operation was triggered by an emergency locator transmitter signal on Tuesday morning. A military aircrew from the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, already in the air for a training exercise, joined US Coast Guard rescuers to locate the group.

Rescuers noted the survivors were in visible distress and had no way of knowing help was coming until aircraft appeared directly overhead. Air Force commanders remarked that surviving an ocean ditching is extremely rare, making the survival of all eleven passengers an extraordinary outcome. Bahamian authorities have launched an investigation into the crash.