A helicopter crashed onto the roof of a seaside hotel in Cairns, Australia, in the early hours of Monday, killing the pilot, authorities said, as video showed flames and smoke billowing into the night sky.
Hundreds of guests and staff of the luxury DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel were evacuated into the street after the helicopter crashed into the building near Cairns Esplanade, a waterfront boardwalk popular with travelers in the north Queensland city.
Police have cordoned off the area in the busy tourist strip, and charter company Nautilus Aviation said it was working with officials as they investigate the “unauthorized use” of one of the company’s aircraft.
Witness Veronica Knight, who was visiting Cairns from Sydney, was sitting on the esplanade, talking on the phone after midnight, when she saw a helicopter fly by very low over the water.
Seconds later, it hit the roof of the hotel.
Police said in a statement they received reports at 1:50 a.m. of the crash, which caused a fire on top of the building. The hotel was evacuated, and nobody was injured, police said – though Knight added that the guests “looked stunned” as they left the building.
Her videos show the orange glow of flames and smoke coming from the top of the hotel, while sirens wail in the distance.
The pilot – and sole occupant of the helicopter – was declared dead at the scene, police said.
Knight said the helicopter had passed over trees and another taller building before hitting the roof of the seven-story hotel.
“[The pilot] would have known those buildings were there,” said Knight. “The strange thing is it went straight past a tall building nearby, and it went straight past the tall one and got a lower one.”
Police have declared an exclusion zone in the area, urging the public to stay away.
Other investigators include the forensic crash unit and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which sent a team to the crash site on Monday to gather evidence and conduct interviews.
The bureau asked witnesses with any photos or videos of the helicopter to contact authorities through the ATSB website.