Three people have been left seriously injured and another three remain missing after the plane suddenly smashed into the ocean and began sinking – with police investigating the cause
A horror seaplane crash has left three people seriously injured and another three missing after the aircraft plunged into water near a popular tourist hotspot shortly after take-off.
Water police and two RAC helicopters raced to the scene where a major search and rescue mission was launched to find the passengers. The privately owned plane hit the water at around 4pm on Tuesday near Thompson Bay in Rottnest Island, Australia – roughly 19km off the coast of Perth.
Four people, three suffering serious injuries, were rescued from the water and airlifted to hospital. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the situation is still “unfolding” and that “water police and a number of civilian vessels provided immediate aid in an attempt to assist in the rescue”, adding: “This is very much an unfolding situation and we are working to ascertain the details.”
Horrifying images from the scene captured what appears to be the aftermath of the collision, with the front half of the plane seen sinking down into the water. It is believed there were seven people on board the aircraft, according to The West Australian.
Commissioner Blanch reassured locals that all efforts were being made to get to the bottom of the crash, and sent thanks to witnesses who assisted with the rescue effort. Blanch said: “I do want to reassure the community that we have significant resources at [the] scene and we are doing everything that we can.”
While the cause of the crash remains unknown, a number of witnesses described the scene as chaotic as they watched it unfold in real time. “I saw two injured people. One guy was limping. He needed support to get off the boat. He would have been in his late 30s maybe,” Elisa Meazzi told Perth Now. “Then a woman in her 50s. Then one in her 20s.”
Another witness immediately assumed there had been a plane crash after hearing the sounds of police and emergency service vehicles. He said: “We didn’t know what had happened because we were on the other side of the island, so we drove past and then we saw these helicopters and we thought there must have been a plane crash.”
Others claimed the aircraft was rocking from side to side before the left wing hit the water, according to Nine News.
