The incident forced the evacuation of some 400 people who were staying in the affected building.
Aug. 12 () –
The pilot of a helicopter died early Monday morning when it crashed into the roof of a hotel in the town of Cains, in the state of Queensland, in northeastern Australia, while he was on an “unauthorized” flight, according to the company that chartered the helicopter.
Queensland Police said emergency services were called to the hotel at around 1.50am (local time, 5.50pm CET) after receiving reports of a twin-engine helicopter crash, with debris falling into the hotel’s gardens and pool, prompting the hotel to declare an exclusion zone.
“The resulting impact caused a fire at the top of the hotel. However, the building was evacuated as a precaution and there were no injuries. The pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, was located and declared dead at the scene. A forensic investigation is underway to identify him,” the statement said.
The charter company ‘Nautilus Aviation’ has assured that the use of the helicopter “was not authorized” and has added that it is working “closely” with the authorities in the investigations. “As we continue to fully support the ongoing investigation, we will not make any further comment,” it said, according to the Australian television channel ABC.
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