Australia: helicopter crashes onto hotel roof, pilot killed

Steph Deschamps / August 14, 2024

A helicopter crashed into the roof of a Hilton hotel in Cairns, northern Australia on Monday, killing its pilot and causing a fire that prompted a mass evacuation, police said.

“The pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft has been located and pronounced dead, forensic examinations are underway to formally identify him,” police said in a statement.

One of the helicopter's blades fell into the hotel's swimming pool, said the emergency services, who reported that two people had been transferred to hospital in stable condition.

Another propeller fell onto the esplanade in front of the building, Caitlin Denning, a local rescue official, told reporters.

Police said no one on the ground was injured.

Hundreds of guests were evacuated from the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Cairns after the crash, which occurred in the middle of the night at around 01:50 local time on Sunday.

Investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau were dispatched to the scene.

On social networks, video clips show flames rising from the roof of the hotel, while sirens wail.

The city of Cairns, in the tropical north of the state of Queensland, is a popular tourist destination and the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

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Australia: helicopter crashes onto hotel roof, pilot killed

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