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Gold Coast helicopter crash: Four killed and three critical after collision near Sea World

Four people have been killed and three are fighting for life after two helicopters collided near a Sea World theme park.

One of the vehicles appeared to have been taking off and the other landing when they collided on Main Beach, on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Witnesses described seeing the crash while standing in line for rides at the nearby theme park, with one of the helicopters “plummeting to the ground nose first”.

One helicopter landed safely on a sandbank, but debris from the other was spread across an area police described as difficult to access.

The dead and three most seriously injured people were all passengers in the crashed helicopter.

“Members of the public and police tried to remove the people and they commenced first aid and tried to get those people to safety from an airframe that was upside down,” Queensland state police acting inspector Gary Worrell said at a news conference.

“(People on) Jet Skis, family boaters, ordinary members of the public rushed to assist these people.”

Passengers in the other helicopter, which lost its windscreen in the crash, are also receiving medical assistance.

A witness named John told Melbourne radio station 3AW that patrons at Sea World heard the crash.

He said staff at the theme park moved swiftly to close off areas closest to the crash.

“There was a massive, massive bang,” he said. “It was just huge. I’m not sure if it was the propellers or whatever hitting against each other. But there was this poor lady and her son near the helipad in tears.”

“The ATSB has commenced a transport safety investigation into the fatal mid-air collision involving two helicopters on Monday afternoon,” he said in a statement.

“Transport safety investigators with experience in helicopter operations, maintenance and survivability engineering are deploying from the ATSB’s Brisbane and Canberra offices and are expected to begin arriving at the accident site from Monday afternoon.

“During the evidence gathering phase of the investigation, ATSB investigators will examine the wreckage and map the accident site.”

Queensland Ambulance Service said earlier that 13 people were being assessed for injuries.

Emergency workers remove a body from a helicopter collision scene near Seaworld, on the Gold Coast, Australia

The three people critically injured were suffering from “multi-system trauma”, while six people with minor injuries – mainly from the impact of the glass – were also taken to hospital.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the accident was an “unthinkable tragedy.”

“My deepest sympathies are with each of the families and everyone affected by this terrible accident,” she said.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said investigators would begin arriving at the scene shortly to look into what had happened.

Four people were killed in the crash

Xural.com

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