4 Dead In Mid-Air Chopper Collision On Gold Coast In Australia

A mid-air collision between two helicopters near Sea World on Australia's Gold Coast left four people dead including a British couple

A mid-air collision between two helicopters near Sea World on Australia's Gold Coast on Monday left four people dead including a British couple. Two UK citizens were among those killed in the crash, reported the UK publication BBC quoting a foreign office spokesperson. The collision between two helicopters could have seen many more deaths, said authorities.

The initial investigations point out that the crash took place with one aircraft taking off and the other landing.

However, the cause of the crash is still not known. The crash took place in less than 20 seconds after one helicopter took off from a sandbar and collided with the landing aircraft.

The ascending helicopter crashed within seconds after its main rotor blade struck the cockpit of the other aircraft, the BBC report quoted the authorities of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as saying. The second helicopter landed upright on the sandbank. 

 The four people include the 40-year-old pilot, a 57-year-old woman and 65-year-old man from the United Kingdom, and a 36-year-old woman from New South Wales, according to the Independent report. The deceased include a British couple who were on a holiday, the report added.

Those who succumbed to death were travelling in one of the helicopters. Three other passengers who remain in critical condition include children aged 9, 10 and a 33-year-old mother who were rushed to the hospital, as per the Independent report.

While five of the six people on the other aircraft suffered minor injuries after it managed an emergency landing.  Officials are offering support to the families of the two victims who are not yet named.  

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed shock over the "terrible and tragic incident". "My thoughts are with all those affected, including first responders, and my deepest sympathies are with those who are grieving," he said.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the incident, which happened at about 14:00 local time (04:00 GMT).

The two aircraft came down near a tourist strip known as Main Beach, about 75km (47 miles) south of Brisbane. Gary Worrell of the Queensland Police Service said, "It's a difficult scene, 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."

The Gold Coast region is brimming with tourists with children on their summer breaks.