All 11 passengers on board a small plane survived a crash off the coast of Florida this week, despite having to wait five hours to be rescued, the United States Coast Guard said Wednesday.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, though authorities said the plane's engine failed. The crash occurred approximately 80 miles off the coast of Florida. 

All passengers were adults from the Bahamas and were flying to Freeport, Bahamas, from Marsh Harbour.

The group was rescued by the United States Air Force after an emergency locator transmitter signal from the plane alerted the Coast Guard around 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The Air Force helicopter was already airborne when the signal was launched because of a routine training mission, and was asked to help with search and rescue operations.

“We are proud to have played a role in bringing 11 people home safely,” Air Force Col. Chadd Bloomstine said in a statement.

One passenger, Olympia Outten, said the passengers were scared that no one heard or saw the plane go down but prayed they would be rescued anyway, per NBC News.

“We thought no one would have saw us," Outten said in a news conference Thursday. "They saw us, and they saved us. And I thought, I keep on telling them, I say, ‘Lord, save us. Lord, save us. Let someone see us.’”

The passengers were eventually taken to Melbourne Orlando International Airport and the medical team at the hospital said they suffered various injuries, including broken bones and lacerations, but are all in stable condition.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.