By Jessica Black, ABC News
The DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade
Photo: Supplied / Queensland Ambulance Service
Hundreds of people have been evacuated after a helicopter crashed into the roof of a Far North Queensland hotel on Monday morning.
Police have declared an emergency around the DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade and evacuated up to 400 people after the crash which happened shortly before 2am, a Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) spokeswoman said.
Two of the helicopter’s propellers came off and landed on the esplanade and in the hotel pool.
Breaking: A helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia around 2 am. Emergency services evacuated 400 people from the building. Police are urging the public to avoid the area. #Cairns #HelicopterCrash #NorthQueensland… pic.twitter.com/CU7352RFlJ
— Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) August 11, 2024
The crash has been described as sounding like a “bomb”.
“It is quite frightening to hear, that noise of a helicopter crashing,” QAS senior operations supervisor Caitlin Denning said.
“There’s been reports it sounded like a bomb, and seeing smoke and fire from that, a lot of the occupants of the hotel were very unsure about the situation at the time.
“There is a lot of unease at the evacuation centre.”
Photo: Supplied / Queensland Ambulance Service
Two people in the building were taken to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition.
It is unknown how many people were in the helicopter, or their condition.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is sending a team of investigators.
Hotel guests have been evacuated to a nearby hotel.
– ABC