Two helicopters have collided in an Australian tourist hotspot, killing four passengers and critically injuring three others.
One helicopter appeared to have been taking off and the other landing when they collided near the Sea World theme park at Main Beach, a northern beach on the Gold Coast.
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,” said Gary Worrell, Queensland state police acting inspector.
Sea World Helicopters, a separate company from the theme park, expressed its condolences and said it was co-operating with the authorities handling the crash investigation.
The Gold Coast region is at its busiest in January, the peak time for holidays in Australia’s summer.
