Rescue crews save 11 in life raft after plane goes down in waters off Florida's east coast

MELBOURNE, Fla. —

Eleven people were rescued after a plane went down approximately 80 miles off Florida's east coast near Melbourne.

The U.S. Coast Guard was notified of an emergency locator transmitter signal from a twin-engine turboprop plane around 11 a.m. Tuesday.

According to the Coast Guard, a helicopter crew was already airborne, conducting a training mission before being redirected to investigate the emergency locator transmitter signal.

U.S. Air Force rescue crews joined the response and helped save 11 Bahamian adults from a life raft near the downed plane. According to the Coast Guard, all 11 survivors were reportedly in stable condition.

Officials said the plane departed from Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, and was en route to Freeport when it experienced engine failure. Bahamian authorities will investigate the cause of the incident.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.