() – A helicopter crashed into the roof of a coastal hotel in Cairns, Australia, early Monday, killing the pilot, authorities said, as video showed flames and smoke rising into the night sky.
Hundreds of guests and staff at the luxury DoubleTree by Hilton hotel were evacuated onto the street after the helicopter crashed into the building near Cairns Esplanade, a waterfront promenade popular with travelers in the north Queensland city.
Police cordoned off the area in the busy tourist area, and charter company Nautilus Aviation said it was working with officials as they investigate the “unauthorized use” of one of the company’s planes.
Witness Veronica Knight, who was visiting Cairns from Sydney, was sitting on the concourse, talking on the phone after midnight, when she saw a helicopter flying low over the water.
He was going “at full speed,” he told . He disappeared from sight for a few minutes and began walking towards his house before seeing the helicopter flying back. As he pulled out his phone to film it, the helicopter turned and headed straight toward the well-lit nearby buildings.
Seconds later, he crashed into the roof of the hotel.
Police said in a statement that they received reports at 1:50 a.m. of the accident, which sparked a fire at the top of the building. The hotel was evacuated and no one was injured, police said, although Knight added that guests “appeared dazed” when they left the building.
Their videos show the orange glow of flames and smoke billowing from the top of the hotel, while sirens wail in the distance.
The pilot, and sole occupant of the helicopter, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Knight said the helicopter had passed over trees and another taller building before crashing into the roof of the seven-story hotel.
“[El piloto] I would have known those buildings were there,” Knight said. “The strange thing is that it went straight through a tall building nearby, and then went straight over the tall one and crashed into a lower one.”
In a statement to , DoubleTree by Hilton Cairns said all of its guests – 421 adults and 50 children, plus two staff – were evacuated safely and that the hotel was arranging alternative accommodation for guests on Monday night. . He is working with authorities on the investigation, he said.
Police have declared an exclusion zone in the area, urging the public to stay away.
Other investigators include the forensic accident unit and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which sent a team to the crash site on Monday to gather evidence and conduct interviews.
The bureau asked witnesses who have photos or video of the helicopter to contact authorities through the ATSB website.
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