At least four people were killed by a helicopter collision near Sea World on Australia’s Gold Coast, according to the Queensland Police Service.
The crash occurred at about 2 p.m. Queensland time, as one helicopter landed and the other took off, police said in an update. One helicopter successfully conducted an emergency landing on a nearby sandbank, while the other helicopter crashed. (RELATED: Walrus Wanders Into Harbor, Masturbates, Falls Asleep, Ruins New Year’s Fireworks)
GOLD COAST: Seaworld Drive in Main Beach has been closed off due to a helicopter crash. Motorists and pedestrians are urged to avoid the area.
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) January 2, 2023
Authorities discovered four people dead on the scene, all of whom were traveling in the crashed helicopter. Three additional passengers from that helicopter were taken to the hospital with critical injuries. Five passengers in the landed helicopter suffered minor injuries and one passenger escaped uninjured, police said.
“Those two aircraft, when collided, have crash landed on the sand bank just out from Sea World Resort,” Queensland Police Inspector Gary Worrell told reporters, according to CNN.
“Due to the area it’s located, on the sand bank, it was difficult to gain access, to get our emergency services to the scene to manage it appropriately,” Worrell added, the BBC reported.
Police urged motorists to avoid the area in a Tweet posted Monday afternoon local time. Seaworld Drive, the park’s main entrance, was closed off as a result of the crash.
Authorities are currently investigating the incident, Chief Commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau Angus Mitchell said, CNN reported.