Authorities on Tuesday said two Britons were among the four people who died a day prior in a midair helicopter collision. Photo by Dave Hunt/EPA-EFE
Jan. 3 (UPI) — Authorities in Australia confirmed Tuesday that two Britons were among the four people killed a day prior in a midair helicopter collision on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Police said the incident happened at about 2 p.m. Monday when two helicopters with a combined 13 people on board collided midair near Sea World Resort, resulting in one of the aircraft to crash land upside down on a sandbar.
All occupants of the helicopters were transported to local hospitals, with authorities stating that the seven occupants of the crashed helicopter either died or were seriously injured, while the six people in the other aircraft sustained relatively minor injuries.
Queensland Police on Tuesday identified the deceased in a statement as the pilot and three passengers of the crashed helicopter.
The pilot was identified as a 40-year-old man from Helensvale and the three passengers were identified as a 57-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man from Britain and a 36-year-old woman from New South Wales.
A 10-year-old boy from Glenmore Park also sustained critical injuries in the crash and remained in critical condition as of Tuesday morning, police said.
A 33-year-old woman and a 9-year-old boy, both from Victoria, were also transported to hospital with serious injuries, it said.
From the other helicopter that managed to land following the collision, only one occupant was uninjured while the remaining five suffered “minor physical injuries,” Queensland Police said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, but police have said they believe the collision occurred as one helicopter was taking off and the other was landing.
“We’re still determining the exact sequence of events but from the footage that we’ve seen and from the damage that we can witness on there, it does appear that the main rotor blade of the helicopter taking off has collided with the front cockpit of the descending helicopter on the left-hand side,” Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said during a Tuesday press conference.
“That, in itself, has led to the main rotor in the gearbox separating from that helicopter, which has meant that tragically it has then had no lift and has fallen heavily to the ground.”
Mitchell added that while it’s tragic that four people died in the crash the death toll would have been higher if the helicopter had not landed on the sandbar.
Sea World Helicopters, which operated the two aircraft, said in a statement that it was “devastated by the tragic accident.”
“Our deepest sympathy and condolences go out to all those involved over this very sad time,” the company said, adding that it has closed operations until further notice.
“Please bear with us during this very difficult time as we process your refund,” it said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation was “shocked” by news of the crash.
“My thoughts are with all those affected, including responders, and my deepest sympathies are with those who are grieving,” he tweeted.
