A vessel operated by Princess Cruises rescued two occupants of a small aircraft that had crashed in Caribbean waters on Tuesday, March 5.
The Royal-class cruise ship Regal Princess was sailing towards St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands when it was called upon by the US Coast Guard 7th District in Miami, Florida, to render assistance to two survivors who have been reported to be in a small life raft floating on the water.
The ship then changed course and headed for a point some 19 nautical miles southeast of Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos region. The crew spotted the life raft as the ship neared the reported crash site.
Regal Princess' crew then deployed a small rigid inflatable boat (RIB) to evacuate the survivors from the life raft and bring them aboard the cruise ship to receive medical attention.
The survivors were recovered with no injuries reported, a coast guard spokesperson said.
The aircraft had reportedly taken off from St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and was headed to Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos at the time it went down into the water.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
