An emergency services official said shattered pieces of the helicopter’s propeller landed in the hotel’s pool, adding that two other bystanders were taken to hospital in stable condition.
Hundreds of guests were evacuated from the DoubleTree by Hilton in the tropical northern city of Cairns after the twin-engine helicopter crashed at around 1:50 a.m. local time.
“The pilot and the sole occupant of the aircraft were found at the scene of the accident and pronounced dead. Forensic examinations are currently underway to officially identify them,” police said in a statement.
Pictures showed a bright cloud of fire on the roof of the hotel.
“They just flew into the building,” a female voice says in a video shared on social media capturing the aftermath.
“Incredible, man,” she adds as sirens wail in the background.
“Horrible. People lived there. It collapsed immediately.”
Caitlin Denning, head of Queensland Rescue Station, said the plane’s propellers had “come loose”.
“One landed on the Cairns Esplanade and a second propeller was in the hotel pool on the ground floor and was on fire,” she told local media.
“There were reports that it sounded like a bomb, and when many hotel guests saw the fire and smoke, they were confused about the situation.”
The roof fire appeared to have died down during the morning.
Cairns is a popular tourist centre and offers access to Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef.
A team of government experts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau was dispatched to the crash site.
The safety office appealed to witnesses to come forward if they had “photos or video footage of the aircraft at any stage of flight” or if they “heard the helicopter prior to impact.”
