Brazilian Navy Saves Eight after Air Taxi Crashes into Sea off Rio de Janeiro Coast

On Friday, the Brazilian Navy managed to save six passengers and two crew members of a plane that was an air taxi and had to make an emergency landing in the ocean 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) south of Cabo Frio in Rio de Janeiro .

It was a search and rescue mission conducted by the Salvamar Sueste, the Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) unit of the 1 st Naval District Command. Upon the alert the Navy soon sent an AH-15B helicopter and it soon spotted the occupants safe on the life rafts.

All the eight were airlifted to the Naval Polyclinic team at the Sao Pedro da Aldeia Naval Air Base where they were initially given medical care before being transported to a hospital to be evaluated further. No injuries were reported.

The Search and Rescue Operation Coordinator, Lieutenant Commander Felipe Lucena, remarked that the success of the mission was due to the high status of operational preparedness of the Navy. He observed that the quick action of the AH-15B helicopter was instrumental in the safe rescue of all the people on board which reiterated the interest of the Brazilian Navy in safeguarding human lives at sea.

Salvamar Sueste is mandated with the responsibility of organising maritime search and rescue operations in its area of operation including the high seas. It is part of the national SAR system in Brazil, managed by Salvamar Brasil, and connected to the Naval Operations Command, and may draw on the assistance of the naval resources and the help of privacy and government ships, where necessary.