The U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force reservists rescued 11 people Tuesday after their plane crashed about 80 miles off the coast of Melbourne, Florida.<\/p>\n
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that all passengers and crew members were accounted for.<\/p>\n
The twin-engine turboprop airplane was traveling from Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, to Freeport when it experienced engine failure, according to CBS News<\/a>. Bahamian authorities plan to investigate an official cause of the crash.<\/p>\n The Coast Guard launched a rescue mission after the plane went down around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning after an emergency locator transmitter alerted officials of a potential distress signal, according to CBS News.<\/p>\n At the time of the crash, a team of Air Force reservists were training near the crash site when they learned of a possible downed flight and headed to the scene, according to NBC News.<\/p>\n The 11 survivors, all Bahamian nationals, were floating in the water for approximately five hours adrift before rescuers spotted their raft, said Capt. Rory Whipple, according to NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could tell just by looking at them that they were in distress, physically, mentally, emotionally,\u201d Whipple continued.<\/p>\n The rescue happened just before a thunderstorm rolled in. Air Force Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty shared, \u201cOnce we flew over them and identified them, a thunderstorm was coming in so they had their rain tarp over them for protection from exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n