The U.S. Coast Guard rescued nearly a dozen people after a small plane crashed in Bahamian waters off the Florida coast on Tuesday, May 12.
The aircraft, a Beechcraft BE30, crashed just after noon local time in the ocean, after it reportedly hit rough weather about 50 miles east of Vero Beach Regional Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration told USA TODAY.
The plane was headed to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport after taking off from Marsh Harbour Airport on Abaco Island, a nearby Bahamian island.
Rescue assets, including aircraft and emergency response teams from the 920th Rescue Wing, were deployed to support search and recovery efforts, U.S. Space Force officials confirmed in an email to FLORIDA TODAY, part of the USA TODAY Network.
All 11 people on the plane were accounted for and were being treated by responders, the Coast Guard confirmed.
It was not immediately known if those rescued were taken to hospitals on the U.S. mainland or in the Bahamas.
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3 reportedly injured in Bahamas plane crash
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority, the investigative aviation authority for the Bahamas, told the Nassau Guardian that the pilot had declared an emergency before contact was lost with the airplane.
The outlet reported three people suffered injuries in the crash.
The extent of their injuries was not immediately known on May 12.
USA TODAY has reached out to AAIA for more information.
Cause of crash unknown, thunderstorms were in the area
The cause of the crash was not immediately known and remained under investigation by the FAA on May 13.
“There were clusters of thunderstorms developing off the east coast of Florida before noon. Any thunderstorm can create rapidly changing and potentially hazardous flying conditions,” said Dan DePodwin, vice president of forecasting operations, AccuWeather.
“Within those storms, pilots can encounter sudden shifts in wind, including strong updrafts and downdrafts, along with reduced visibility. These types of convective conditions can evolve within a matter of seconds,” DePodwin said.
Contributing: Rick Neale with FLORIDA TODAY
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Florida plane crash 11 rescued from ocean