In the early hours of Monday morning, a helicopter crashed on the roof of an upscale hotel in the tourist town of Cairns in northern Australia.
One of its pilots was killed, and debris from the aircraft flew across the hotel’s grounds.
The fire after the helicopter crashed on the roof of Double Tree Hotel in Cairns. A friend was staying there. pic.twitter.com/Q5mkJ0BYHc
— Ben Pennings (@BenPennings) August 11, 2024
The Double Tree hotel is a part of the Hilton chain and is a major gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
The crash caused a fire on the hotel’s roof, which forced the evacuation of guests, according to the police in Queensland.
The pilot was declared dead on the spot, and authorities were conducting a forensic investigation to formally identify him.
According to the helicopter’s owner, Nautilus Aviation, the aircraft had been flying without authorization when it crashed.
They noted that they were working with the relevant authorities to investigate the incident.
According to reports, the aircraft’s rotor blades separated from the helicopter, and one of its blades hit the hotel’s pool.
There were no reports of injuries on the ground. A statement from the police stated that a forensic crash team would investigate the incident and produce an accident report.
The hotel’s occupants were evacuated from the building, and two of them had to be taken to a hospital due to their injuries.
Jill Ball, who was at the hotel with her spouse Robert, said that the elderly couple were very stressed because their room had been damaged by the debris.
According to Ms. Ball, she was lucky to be able to put on clothes, but some of the guests had to come out in pyjamas and bare feet.
She noted that the debris from the crash hit the side of her hotel room, which was diagonally opposite the area where the incident occurred.
She and her spouse were asked to leave their room immediately, and they had initially been told to wait inside.
The incident was described as chaotic and disorganized by one of the hotel’s guests. She commended the bus driver for helping the passengers of the crashed helicopter get out of the building.
She also praised the individual for being a kind and caring person.
Amanda Kay, who was one of the guests who was evacuated from the hotel, said that she witnessed the helicopter flying very low before it crashed.
According to Alastair Salmon, a tourist, the incident was described as a “colossal ear-deafening bang.”
A spokesperson for Queensland Ambulance noted that it was too dangerous to enter the hotel. The police had earlier declared the area around the hotel an exclusion zone.