Sydney, Jan 8: Three people, including two foreign tourists, have been killed and three more hospitalized with serious injuries after a seaplane crashed off the coast of Western Australia (WA), authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
The Premier of WA, Roger Cook, said at a press conference with WA Police Commissioner Colonel Blanch that the bodies of the deceased were recovered from the wreckage by water police on Tuesday night. They have been identified as a 34-year-old male pilot from Perth, a 65-year-old female Swiss tourist and a 60-year-old male tourist from Denmark.
There were seven people on board the privately-owned seaplane when it crashed into the ocean shortly after take off at about 4 pm local time Tuesday near Rottnest Island, a popular tourist destination 20 km off the coast of Perth.
Four passengers were pulled from the water and airlifted to hospital on Tuesday evening, with three suffering serious injuries, Xinhua news agency reported.
The survivors are a 63-year-old Swiss national, a 58-year Danish national and two West Australians aged 65 and 63.
Cook said that initial investigations have not been able to confirm witness reports that the plane hit a rock shortly before crashing.
Aerial footage of the crash site showed the plane nose down in the water with debris floating nearby.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that his thoughts were with all those affected.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Wednesday confirmed it would investigate the crash.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that the seaplane involved in the incident was brand new.
Witness Greg Quin told ABC radio that the plane crashed moments after taking off from Thomson Bay on the island's east coast.
Rottnest Island is a popular tourism destination known for its population of quokkas -- a small species of marsupial -- and is serviced by several companies offering air transfers from Perth.
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