Three people were rescued after a small plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near South Beach Park in Vero Beach, Florida, on Sunday night. The incident occurred just a few miles off the coast. A large-scale multi-agency rescue operation is underway.

The aircraft, a single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk, had departed from Flagler Executive Airport in Palm Coast shortly before 7 PM (local time) and was scheduled to land in Vero Beach around 8:30 PM, according to records from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.

At approximately 8:24 PM, the pilot issued a distress call due to engine failure while the plane was about four miles offshore. The plane lost contact with the about a mile from the shoreline.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Capt. Joe Abollo confirmed the crash location as between 1 and 4 miles off the coast. The US Coast Guard reported that the three individuals — the pilot and two passengers — were found around 2 miles offshore by 8:45 PM. The heat signatures detected by a sheriff’s department helicopter helped to find the survivors.

Survivors were rescued from the water by a joint search and rescue team including the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Indian River Fire Rescue, Indian River Shores Public Safety, Vero Beach Police, US Coast Guard, and US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations.

“There were no fatalities reported from the crash,” Capt. Joe Abollo stated. “The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and is responding to the scene.”