Two American tourists died and two others sustained minor injuries when a helicopter crashed on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on Wednesday, officials said.
Police Inspector Ian Haughton said the pilot pulled one of his four passengers from the wreckage after the crash at a coral-viewing pontoon northeast of the Whitsunday Islands. But desperate attempts to revive the 65-year-old woman failed.
Haughton said a 79-year-old man also died despite bystanders’ attempts to resuscitate him.
Inspector Ian Haughton: We are keeping identity of deceased private until all family members are notified. #Whitsundays
— ABC Tropical North (@ABCTropical) March 22, 2018
The man and woman have not been identified, but are both Hawaii residents, the New York Times reported.
A 34-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman from Colorado were taken to the Australian mainland for medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, Haughton said.
All four tourists knew each other.
Police said the helicopter was on its final approach for landing at the Hardy Reef viewing pontoon on what was a routine flight. The people were also on a nearby dive and snorkel platform when the helicopter crashed, police told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The five-seat, single-engine Eurocopter EC120 Colibri crashed 40 miles northeast of the Whitsunday Islands near a pontoon that has underwater viewing chambers to see coral and is a popular tourist destination.
Police have released details about 5 people involved in a fatal helicopter crash in #Whitsundays. Four were tourists from the USA & all knew each other. The bodies of the two deceased, 65 yo female & 79 male, were taken ashore by Whitsunday Water Police this morning @abcbrisbane pic.twitter.com/PWbmaER8mZ
— Rachel Riga (@RachelRiga) March 22, 2018
The U.S. Embassy in Australia said in a statement it was aware that two U.S. citizens had died and was “providing all appropriate consular assistance.”
Whitsunday Air Services suspended operations as it works with authorities to determine the cause of the crash, as an “independent, robust and transparent investigation” is underway, Haughton said.
He said the “consequences are tragic” for the people on board and that “you couldn’t begin to imagine the impact” on them.
“We are extremely saddened by this incident and our deepest condolences are with the families of all of the passengers,” the company said in a statement.
Whitsunday fatal helicopter crash not company's first incident.https://t.co/nJP4r1768X pic.twitter.com/YA8kH21XOh
— ABC Brisbane (@abcbrisbane) March 21, 2018
“It’s just gut-wrenching,” Andrew Willcox, the Whitsunday mayor, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “My deepest sympathies goes out to those who lost their lives and those that were injured.”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau confirmed a crash investigation was underway.
