During an “unauthorised” early morning flight, a pilot’s helicopter crashed onto the roof of an Australian hotel, resulting in the pilot’s death.
Around 01:50 local time on Monday (16:50 BST Sunday), an aircraft struck the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Cairns, northern Queensland, igniting a fire and requiring the evacuation of hundreds of guests.
Two hotel guests, an 80-year-old man and a 70-year-old lady, were rushed to the hospital in stable condition, while the single person inside the helicopter, according to the authorities, died at the site.
There have been rumours in the local media that the helicopter was stolen, BrandSpur digital news platform reports.
The helicopter’s owner, Nautilus Aviation, announced that it would collaborate fully with all Queensland authorities while they looked into the “unauthorised use of one of our helicopters in the early hours of this morning”.
While staying at the hotel on Cairns’ main esplanade, Amanda Kay told stories of seeing a helicopter flying “extra low” in the wet season without any lights.
According to her: “It has turned round and hit the building,” adding that the aircraft “blew up”.
Another onlooker claimed to have witnessed the helicopter pass the hotel twice just before the crash.
In a video depicting the crash’s flaming aftermath, a woman stated: “Boy that was going fast, that helicopter. Unbelievable.”
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Adding: “It was just going out of control, that thing was.”
The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) reports that two of the helicopter’s rotor blades broke off upon impact and landed in the hotel pool and on the esplanade.
The media were told by spokesperson Caitlin Dennings: “There have been reports it sounded like a bomb, and [that after] seeing smoke and fire from that, a lot of the occupants of the hotel were very unsure about the situation.”
Alastair Salmon, a different guest at the hotel, told the ABC that it was “a colossal ear-deafening bang.”
Approximately 400 persons, including Mr. Salmon from London, were taken out of the hotel. He said he thought it was a lamppost till he saw the helicopter’s rotor blade on the ground close by.
Citing what he told ABC: “Then we looked up there and you could see this massive hole in the window of the building.”
Police have declared an emergency and sealed off the streets surrounding the hotel. The circumstances surrounding the disaster are still being looked into by Queensland Police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is in charge of aviation safety.
Because of its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, the city of Cairns, which is located in northern Queensland, is a famous tourist destination.
