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Survivors of plane crash off Florida were on a life raft for hours with no idea if help was coming
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Survivors of plane crash off Florida were on a life raft for hours with no idea if help was coming

The Seattle Times·GENE JOHNSON The Associated Press·19 days ago
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For five hours, the 11 survivors of a plane crash off the coast of Florida floated on a life raft, with no means of calling for help and no idea if anyone was coming to save them. As a thunderstorm approached, they gathered under a tarp for whatever protection it might offer. Then, search and rescue crews from the U.S. military appeared overhead, members of those crews recounted during a news conference Wednesday. “You could tell just by looking at them that they were in distress — physically, mentally and emotionally,” said Air Force Capt. Rory Whipple, a combat rescue specialist who jumped into the water and swam to the survivors. “You have to imagine the emotional injuries that they sustained out there, not knowing if someone was going to rescue them.” The plane, a Beechcraft 300 King Air turboprop, was on its way from Marsh Harbour, on the Bahamian island of Great Abaco, to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport when it suffered engine failure Tuesday, authorities said.…

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