The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon (local time) when the plane took off from Rottnest Island near the city of Perth.
Keystone-SDA
A light aircraft crashed during take-off from a tourist island in Western Australia, killing three people including Swiss and Danish tourists and injuring three others, authorities said on Wednesday.
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The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon (local time) when the plane took off from Rottnest Island near the city of Perth.
According to the regional government, the victims are a 65-year-old Swiss woman, a 60-year-old Dane and the 34-year-old pilot.
The Swiss Consulate General in Sydney confirmed to the Keystone-SDA news agency that it was dealing with the case and was in close contact with the authorities in Western Australia.
According to the premier of the state of Western Australia, Roger Cook, four passengers survived the crash into the sea, including a man from Switzerland and a woman from Denmark. Three of them are said to be seriously injured and were being treated in hospital.
Numerous boats in the area immediately rushed to the scene to help the victims. They risked their own safety to help total strangers who were in urgent need, Cook said.
Hours of searching in the sea
After the accident, police divers spent hours searching the water for three of the seven passengers who were initially missing. They were discovered during the night, but could only be recovered dead.
The authorities have launched an investigation. The survivors are to be questioned later by investigators about the accident.
According to the Australian news agency AAP, the Cessna 208 Caravan had only recently been purchased by operator Swan River Seaplanes to offer sightseeing flights over Perth and Rottnest Island. The island with its white sandy beaches and beautiful bays is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world.
Adapted from German by DeepL/sb
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