Police in Queensland, Australia say Four people have died after a mid-air collision between two helicopters near Sea World on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Initial investigations suggest the crash happened as one aircraft was taking off and the other was landing.
According to a foreign office spokesman, those who died were travelling in the same helicopter while three other passengers are in a critical condition. Two UK citizens were among those killed in the crash.
They added that officials were supporting the families of the two victims – who have not been named – and would remain “in contact with the local authorities”.
Five of the six people on the other aircraft, which made an emergency landing, suffered minor injuries.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country had been left shocked by the “terrible and tragic incident”.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the collision, 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 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 emergency services to the scene to manage it appropriately.”
Worrell said members of the public and police had tried to remove passengers from the aircraft and performed first aid on the injured.
The other helicopter has the popular marine park’s logo on its fuselage and appears to have made an emergency landing after the collision.
According to the Sea World website the park offers sightseeing helicopter flights for tourists, as well as carrying out other charter operations.
The resort’s owner, Village Roadshow Theme Parks, offered its condolences to all those impacted and said Sea World Helicopters is an independent operator.
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