Eleven individuals have been rescued from a life raft off the coast of Florida, hours after their twin-engine turboprop aircraft experienced engine failure and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The twin-engine turboprop plane, a Beechcraft 300 King Air, departed from Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas and was en route to Freeport on Grand Bahama Island when the incident occurred. All 11 survivors were transported to awaiting emergency medical services at Melbourne Orlando International Airport.
The survival ordeal lasted approximately five hours before rescue efforts culminated in a dramatic hoist operation by an Air Force combat rescue helicopter with critically low fuel levels. Rescuers located the survivors adrift in a life raft, their downed aircraft nowhere in sight. The survivors, unable to call for help, were guided to safety thanks to the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) beacon, which led rescuers to their position.
Read More: Six Dead in Tiruppur Highway Crash on Wednesday Morning
An Air Force HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, already airborne on a training mission, was rerouted to the search area. Its crew located the life raft as a thunderstorm approached, subsequently dropping a survival package containing additional rafts, food, and water. Subsequently, a crew from the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base, aboard an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, executed the rescue. They managed to hoist all 11 individuals into the helicopter, completing the operation with mere minutes of fuel remaining before requiring an emergency refuel or landing.
Details regarding the extent of injuries or the medical conditions of the survivors were not immediately available. The distance between Marsh Harbour and Freeport is approximately 100 miles. The incident was first reported when the plane issued a distress signal around 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
Read More: Baramati trainee pilot crash lands safely near airstrip May 13
