Eurocopter 120 was carrying five people when it went down near Hardy Reef in north Queensland

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Two people have died in a helicopter crash off Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has said. For reasons yet to be determined, the helicopter — carrying five people — went down into the water near a large pontoon for snorkelers and divers close to the barrier reef, police said. Police and other emergency service vessels are en route to Hardy Reef with the crash site about 65km northeast of the Whitsundays. The helicopter, a Eurocopter EC120 Colibri, was believed to have crashed into the water near a pontoon at Hardy's Reef, a popular tourist spot, about 4.30pm.
A Eurocopter 120 helicopter carrying five people crashes into the sea near Hardy Reef off the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia. Two people are killed.