A seaplane crashes off an Australian tourist island, killing 3 and injuring 3 others

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A seaplane crashed on takeoff from an Australian tourist island, killing three people, including tourists from Switzerland and Denmark, and injuring three others. Police said there were seven people aboard the Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft, with only one person rescued uninjured in the accident on Tuesday afternoon.

The plane, owned by Swan River Seaplanes, was returning to its base in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, 30 kilometers east of Rottnest Island, also known as Wadjemup by local Aboriginal people. Western Australia Premier Roger Cook stated that the deceased included a 65-year-old Swiss woman, a 60-year-old Danish man, and a 34-year-old male pilot from Perth.

The deceased tourists’ partners, a 63-year-old Swiss man and a 58-year-old Danish woman, both survived. Additionally, a Western Australian couple, a 65-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, also survived. It is currently unclear which passenger was uninjured. Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch said that none of the survivors sustained life-threatening injuries. The three injured individuals have been airlifted to a hospital in Perth.

Cook stated that the cause of the crash is not yet known. There were earlier reports that the plane may have hit rocks at the entrance to a bay on the island's west side, but Cook said that could not be confirmed from the videos currently seen. Rottnest Island is known for its beaches and cat-sized hopping marsupials called quokkas, which are rare on mainland Australia. Tourist accommodations on the island are fully booked during the current Southern Hemisphere summer.

Speaking to reporters, Cook said, “Every Western Australian knows that Rottnest Island is one of our most important tourist destinations. For such a tragic event to occur in such a beautiful place, particularly at this time of year, makes a lot of people very sad.” Blanch stated that police divers recovered the bodies of the deceased from a depth of 8 meters (26 feet) on Tuesday evening. The wreckage of the plane is still being recovered.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the agency responsible for investigating aviation accidents, said it has dispatched specialist investigators to the scene. The bureau’s chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell, said in a statement: “The ATSB has been advised that during the takeoff, the seaplane impacted the water surface and subsequently became partially submerged.”

Greg Quinn, a tourist vacationing on Rottnest Island, witnessed the crash. Speaking to ABC radio in Perth, Quinn said, “We were watching the seaplane take off, and just as it was about to leave the water, it just rolled over and crashed. A lot of people who were out on the water in boats got to the scene pretty quickly, I thought they were very quick to respond.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the crash “terrible news.” Speaking to ABC television, Albanese said, “All Australians will have woken up this morning and seen these images. My condolences go out to all of those affected by this event.”