Pilot, Two Others Dead In Plane Crash
The light aircraft crashed near Rottnest Island off the Western Australian city of Perth, authorities said on Wednesday.
No fewer than three people have been reportedly killed after a small seaplane crashed during take-off from an Australian tourist island.
The light aircraft crashed near Rottnest Island off the Western Australian city of Perth, authorities said on Wednesday.
Reuters reports that the aircraft was carrying six tourists when it crashed on Tuesday afternoon off Rottnest Island, a popular tourist destination around 30 km (18.6 miles) west of Perth. The three surviving tourists were injured.
“My thoughts go out to the families and friends of the victims. This is no doubt very difficult for everyone involved,” Western Australia’s state Premier, Roger Cook, told a news conference.
The victims were identified as the 34-year-old pilot, a 65-year-old woman from Switzerland and a 60-year-old man from Denmark.
Three passengers were taken to the hospital with wounds while one of the seven people onboard escaped unharmed.
The plane, owned by Swan River Seaplanes, was returning to its base in Perth, 30km east of the island, Western Australia premier Roger Cook said.
Mr Cook confirmed the deaths on Wednesday as search teams fished wreckage of the plane from the sea. The survivors included an Australian couple, a 63-year-old man and 65-year-old woman.
Police divers recovered the bodies on Tuesday night from a depth of 8m, authorities said.
Mr Cook said the cause of the crash was not immediately known but there were unconfirmed reports that the plane had struck a rock at the entrance of a bay on the west side of the island.
“Every Western Australian knows that Rottnest is our premier tourism destination,” Mr Cook said. “For something so tragic to happen in front of so many people, at a place that provides so much joy, especially at this time of the year, is deeply upsetting.”
Rottnest Island is renowned for its sandy beaches and quokkas, which are rare on the Australian mainland. The island’s tourist accommodation is fully booked during the Southern Hemisphere summer months.
Police said they received several calls from the public at around 4pm local time on Tuesday alerting them to the plane crash, which prompted a multi-agency response.
“Importantly, members of the public were already present, immediately jumped to save lives,” police commissioner, Col Blanch, said.
