Twitter screenshot The collision between two helicopters on the Gold Coast, southeast Australia’s Queensland region, on Monday 2nd January. Four people died in this accident.
Twitter screenshot
The collision between two helicopters on the Gold Coast, south-east of Australia’s Queensland region on Monday January 2nd. Four people died in this accident.
AUSTRALIA – Dramatic scene just a stone’s throw from Sea World Park in Australia. Two helicopters collided in mid-air Monday, January 2, killing four and seriously injuring three, authorities said in their latest official report.
Images broadcast by Australian television showed the rotors of a rig lying on a sandbank in south-east Australia’s Queensland region, currently in the high tourist season. Nearby, one of the two helicopters was overturned on the sand, according to public broadcaster ABC. The other plane appeared largely intact at the scene near Sea World marine theme park.
The two helicopters “collisioned,” one crashing and the other “landing on the sandbar just next to Sea World Park,” Queensland Police Inspector Gary Worrell said. The exact causes of the collision are not known, but it appears one helicopter took off when the other landed, he said.
“Four people lost their lives today” and “three others – a woman and two boys – are in critical condition in hospital,” he added during a news conference.
Two Sea World helicopters collided in mid-air, killing four and injuring six. As the tragedy unfolded, … https://t.co/qc9yMb97bQ
— 9News Gold Coast (@9NewsGoldCoast)
#BREAKING helicopter crash off #SeaWorld on the #Gold Coast. Two helicopters may have collided. It’s bad. 😰 https://t.co/K3YYyxXWum
— Jet Ski Bandit (@fulovitboss)
Accident at start?
After the accident, a bright yellow rescue helicopter landed on the sand because of the particularly difficult access for the emergency services on site. But it was noted that passers-by had rushed to get passengers from the plane, whose cabin had overturned.
“Members of the public and police tried to pull people out and began administering first aid to get them to safety,” added Gary Worrell, before thanking “everyone who helped and allowed these people to get into the bring to emergency room.
The Australian Transport Safety Board immediately announced it would launch an investigation into the accident, which was presented as a “mid-air collision”. Investigators were expected at the scene to examine the wreck, map the site and recover investigative materials, the office said in a statement.
Images released by Channel 9 show the moments before the collision. However, the moment of the precise impact between the two machines was cut during editing.
#BREAKING: Channel 9 released a video showing the Gold Coast helicopter crash, although they previously cropped it… https://t.co/y2QPSGwAxC
—Leonardo Puglisi (@Leo_Puglisi6)
The BBC also reports Gary Worrell’s statement that the “four fatalities and three serious injuries all occurred on the same plane”. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has also called in witnesses who saw the helicopters in flight or have images to best determine the conditions of this tragedy.
See also on The HuffPost:
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