Australia: 4 Killed, Including Children, in Plane Crash (Video)

Four people, including two children, died as a plane crashed in waters off the coast of Brisbane’s northeastern suburbs, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZkXHqISLIs

Reports revealed that the light aircraft took off from Redcliffe Airport, north of Brisbane, around 9 am on Sunday.

Inspector Craig White said that the plane was observed to disappear behind mangroves before the wreckage was discovered upturned in shallow water.

White stated that police pers recovered the bodies of four people who were on the plane at 12 pm.

“The matter is currently under investigation, we are working together with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to determine the cause of the crash,” Inspector White said.

He added that the plane appeared to be on a prearranged joy flight and the family of the pilot was at the Redcliffe aerodrome at the time. The pilot's family has been notified of the incident.

“We’re investigating the next-of-kin details of the remaining passengers and at this stage we haven’t been able to confirm their identity,” he said. “This is a tragic accident, this is the last thing any family need to go through at this time of the year. “The family are deeply traumatised.”

The earlier rescue operation had been described as “very difficult” due to the plane’s location in the water.

Moreover, Angus Mitchell, chief commissioner of the ATSB, noted that investigators were asking for anyone who witnessed anything to contact police or the ATSB.

“It’s quite an inaccessible place at the moment, with a drying mangrove,” Mitchell said. "There are some challenges for the next couple of hours to determine exactly how we recover the wreckage.”