Seaplane accident off Rottnest Island: 2 tourists and pilot dead

Seaplane accident off Rottnest Island: 2 tourists and pilot dead

On Tuesday afternoon, a seaplane crashed while taking off from an Australian tourist island. Three people were killed in the accident, including tourists from Switzerland and Denmark. Three other people were also injured.

Details about the accident

Of the seven people on board the Cessna 208 Caravan, only one was rescued without injury, police reported. The plane, owned by Swan River Seaplanes, was heading back to its base in Perth, the capital of Western Australia state, which is about 30 kilometers east of Rottnest Island, also known by its indigenous name, Wadjemup.

Identity of the deceased

The dead were a 65-year-old Swiss woman, a 60-year-old Dane and the 34-year-old pilot from Perth, as the Prime Minister of Western Australia, Roger Cook, announced. The partners of the deceased tourists, a 63-year-old Swiss man and a 58-year-old Danish woman, survived the crash. A couple from Western Australia, a 65-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, were also uninjured.

Cause of accident unclear

It is not known which of the passengers remained uninjured. Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch said none of the survivors suffered life-threatening injuries. The three injured people were flown to a hospital in Perth.

Reports of the crash

Cook stated that the cause of the crash is currently unknown. Reports that the plane hit a rock at the entrance to a bay on the western side of the island during takeoff have not yet been confirmed by the videos seen. The popular one Rottnest Island is known for its sandy beaches and the cat-sized hopping marsupials, the quokkas, which are rarely found in mainland Australia. In the current summer months in the southern hemisphere, the accommodation on the island is fully booked.

Reactions to the accident

Rescue of the victims

Blanch reported that police divers recovered the bodies from a depth of 8 meters on Tuesday night. The wreckage of the plane continues to be recovered. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is responsible for investigating aircraft accidents, has sent special investigators to the scene. "According to the ATSB report, the seaplane collided with the water during takeoff before partially sinking," the bureau's chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell, said in a statement.

Statements from witnesses

A tourist named Greg Quin, who was vacationing on Rottnest, reported seeing the crash. "We saw the seaplane take off and just as it started to take off from the water it just tipped over and crashed," Quin said on Australian Broadcasting Corp radio. in Perth. “A lot of people on their boats in the water rushed to the scene and I think they got there really, really quickly.”

Prime Minister's reaction

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the crash “terrible news.” "The images were seen by all Australians when they woke up this morning," Albanese said on ABC television. “My condolences go out to everyone who is affected.”