Life raft falls from helicopter, crashes through roof of home

March 1 (UPI) -- A Florida woman said she thought a bomb went off inside her home, but discovered the crash was actually a life raft dropped on her home by the helicopter.

Luce Rameau of Miami said she was in her bed talking to a friend on the phone when wood and dust from her roof rained down on her.

"I kept screaming, 'What happened? What happened?'" Rameau told the Miami Herald. "I was shocked."

Rameau said she thought a bomb had gone off, but she soon discovered the actual cause of the noise and flying debris was an 80-pound life raft that had fallen onto her home from Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopter.

The Royal Canadian Air Force said the helicopter had been en route to a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Opa-Locka for a training exercise when the raft detached.

David Lavallee, a Royal Canadian Air Force spokesman, said the cause of the raft's fall is under investigation. He said the air force plans to help Rameau "with accommodations and other support."

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews said the uninflated six-seat raft was in the bedroom of the home when they arrived.

"Fortunately, the occupant narrowly escaped disaster and sustained only minor injuries," fire Capt. William McAllister IV said.