Authorities in Australia say two helicopters collided over the waterfront at an Australian tourist hotspot, killing a pilot, two British visitors and a Sydney woman. A husband and wife are among the four people killed. Three other passengers — a woman and her son, and another child — were seriously hurt. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country had been left shocked by the “terrible and tragic incident.”
Crash investigators in Australia say the main rotor blades of a helicopter that had just taken off collided with the cockpit of another as it was coming into land. The blades broke off on impact, sending the aircraft plunging onto a sandbank. The other helicopter was able to make an emergency landing near the Sea World theme park, south of Brisbane, the Queensland state capital. A British couple, a pilot and an Australian woman died. The dead and injured were all onboard the same helicopter.
The crash Monday is being investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell explained to reporters on the Gold Coast Tuesday what happened when the two aircraft collided.
“In the process of that collision, the main rotor blades and gearbox of the helicopter taking off had separated from the aircraft causing it to tragically crash down onto a sandbar. At this stage, we have got four people who have tragically lost their lives. Another three are in a very serious condition in hospital,” he said.
Mitchell has asked eyewitnesses who saw or filmed the collision or the helicopters in flight to contact investigators.
The second helicopter involved in the crash was able to make an emergency landing on the sandbank. Authorities have praised the pilot for steering his craft away from Sea World, one of Australia’s most popular theme parks.
Beachgoers rushed to help the survivors.
A preliminary report from the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau is expected in the next six to eight weeks. A final determination of what caused the crash could take many months.
What started as a scenic flight over the Gold Coast — one of Australia’s most popular tourist destinations — has ended in catastrophe.
Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the mid-air collision is an “unthinkable tragedy.”
