Helicopter crashe: Pilot dies as helicopter crashes on Australian hotel roof, forcing people to evacuate
Helicopter crashe: An early Monday morning tragedy occurred when a helicopter crashed atop of a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Cairns, Australia, dies the pilot. Around 1:50 a.m. local time, the crash sparked a blaze requiring a swift hotel evacuation. Hundreds scampered to safety under the watchful eyes of the Queensland Police, who unfortunately confirmed the demise of the pilot at the site.
Alastair Salmon told the ABC about his experience
Emergency workers were swift and efficient, attending to two aged hotel guests rushed to the hospital. The couple, in their 70s and 80s, were reported stable but hurt by the Queensland Ambulance Service. The aftermath was quite telling as the hotel and vicinity suffered extensive harm. The helicopter’s rotor blades separated upon crashing; one found its way to the esplanade, another plunged into the hotel’s pool as The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. One of the guests, British tourist Alastair Salmon, narrated his experience to ABC.
Recalling the terrifying scene, Salmon said
“A huge bang woke me up,” Salmon narrated his ordeal. On walking out to the chaos, he mistook a rotor blade for a lamppost. “But when we looked up, there was this huge hole in the building’s window,” he added, recounting the chaotic scene. In response, the police sealed off nearby streets and declared an emergency. Australia’s Transport Safety Bureau announced they would probe the crash’s cause. Their aim is to understand why the helicopter hit the building and to recommend safety measures to avoid similar future events.
