A British couple who were among the four people killed when two helicopters collided mid-air near a theme park in Australia have been named.
Diane and Ron Hughes, 57 and 65, were from Liverpool and married in 2021.
In a statement, his family said they are heartbroken and are still trying to contact friends and family to let them know.
Image: Diane and Ron Hughes
The accident took place on the Gold Coast, not far from Sea World, in the state of Queensland, around 14.00 local time on Monday. The park would have been filled with families enjoying the summer school holidays.
Initial investigations have shown that a helicopter taking off, containing seven people, collided with another helicopter coming in, containing six people.
Mr and Mrs Hughes were in the helicopter carrying seven people, which crashed. The 40-year-old pilot and a 36-year-old woman from New South Wales also died.
A 10-year-old boy on board is in critical condition, while a 33-year-old woman and a nine-year-old boy are seriously injured.
The helicopter that came down “remarkably” landed upright, despite considerable damage to the left front of the aircraft, where the pilot was seated.
Five occupants of this plane suffered minor injuries, while the sixth was unharmed.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the incident was a “tragic start to the new year”.
He explained that the main rotors of the take-off helicopter collided with the landing helicopter about 200m in the air, causing considerable damage to the front end. During the process, the main rotor blade and gearbox were separated from the main body of the aircraft.
A sand bank made it difficult for emergency service workers to access the accident site.
Sea World Helicopters, an independent theme park company, expressed its condolences, saying it was “devastated” by what had happened and was cooperating with an open investigation by authorities exploring the cause of the crash.
A statement said: “We and the entire flying community are devastated by what has happened and our sincere condolences go out to all involved and especially to the loved ones and family of the deceased.”
A witness named John described to Melbourne radio station 3AW that there was a “massive, massive stampede” and emergency crews moved quickly to seal off the areas closest to the crash.
“It was huge. I’m not sure if it was the propellers or anything that hit each other. But there was this poor lady and her son near the helipad in tears.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the crash was an “unthinkable tragedy”.
He said: “My deepest condolences go out to each of the families and to all those affected by this terrible accident.”
Mitchell went on to explain that officers will continue to gather all the information they can, including body camera footage taken by members of the public and CCTV from nearby buildings.
He said: “What we need to know now is what was happening inside the two cockpits at the time. We know that take-off and landing are critical phases of any flight where the pilots’ cognitive workload is at its highest.”