The bodies of three people have been recovered off Rottnest Island in Western Australia. After a sea plane carrying six passengers crashed while attempting to take off from Thompson Bay. Three others onboard remain in hospital, a fourth person is uninjured.
Category
đŸ“º
TVTranscript
00:00Rottnest Island almost seems like any other day at the popular tourist attraction.
00:07The ferries are pulling up with heaps of people here for the day.
00:11It's almost hard to believe that just behind me here at Thompson Bay is near the site of
00:16where that privately owned aircraft took off with seven people, including the pilot, and
00:22crashed.
00:23Now, four people were rescued from the wreckage and they were airlifted to Perth.
00:27Three of them were injured and, as you said, they're now in a stable condition.
00:31We were told by authorities yesterday that three people remained unaccounted for.
00:36And today, the premier, Roger Cook, did confirm that three bodies were recovered from the
00:41wreckage by water police divers last night.
00:45The deceased include a 65-year-old woman who was believed to be a Swiss tourist, a six-year-old
00:51man believed to be visiting from Denmark, and the pilot, a 34-year-old man who lived
00:56in Perth.
00:57Now, the crash was seen by many on nearby boats.
01:00The premier, thanking them for their bravery, here is what he had to say.
01:04For something so tragic to happen in front of so many people at a place that provides
01:10so much joy, especially at this time of the year, is deeply upsetting.
01:16I want to formally acknowledge all members of the public on several private vessels that
01:22were in the area and acted immediately to help.
01:26They put their own safety at risk to help complete strangers who were in desperate need.
01:33That took courage.
01:35That took bravery, especially given what was a very distressing situation.
01:41I want to thank those Western Australians.
01:44They responded with true Western Australian spirit, and their efforts undoubtedly saved
01:49lives.
01:50And, Grace, will there be an investigation?
01:53Yes, so there's a joint investigation that has been launched.
01:59The WA police will be preparing a report for the coroner into the three fatalities, and
02:03the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will be investigating what exactly caused this
02:08crash.
02:09The ATSB will be sending investigators from their Perth, Canberra and Brisbane offices,
02:14and I believe they arrive in Perth today.
02:17In the meantime, a 200-metre exclusion zone has been set up around the wreckage, while
02:23police and ATSB investigators conduct those investigations.
02:28But just a tragic result at what is usually the busiest time of year at Rottnest Island,
02:34and usually a joyful time of year as well.