At least 10 passengers on an airplane that went down about 80 miles off the coast of Melbourne, have been rescued and were being treated by rescue paramedics, U.S. Coast Guard officials confirmed.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft, a Beechcraft BE30, crashed into the ocean, possibly during rough weather. The plane hit the water at 2 p.m., about 50 miles from Vero Beach Regional Airport.
The aircraft had departed from Marsh Harbor Airport and was headed toward Grand Bahama International Airport when the incident happened, the FAA said in a statement sent to FLORIDA TODAY. The 920th Rescue Squad from Patrick Space Force Base also responded to the crash site.
“We can confirm response operations are currently underway following a civilian aircraft incident. Rescue assets, including aircraft and emergency response teams from the 920th Rescue Wing, have been deployed to support search and recovery efforts. Response operations remain ongoing,” Space Force officials confirmed in an email to FLORIDA TODAY.
All 10 people were accounted for and were being treated by responders. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Check back for updates.
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 Florida Today: Plane crash reported off Melbourne coast; 10 rescued by U.S. Coast Guard
Reporting by J.D. Gallop and Rick Neale, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
