In Australia, 2 Children among 4 dead in light aircraft crash in Queensland

A light aircraft crashed into the sea off the coast of Queensland state in Australia on December 19, killing four people, two of whom were children. The four-seater Rockwell crashed off the end of a runway in Redcliffe, some 20 miles (32 kilometres) northeast of Brisbane, according to police.

As per a report by AP, Police Inspector Craig White informed reporters that divers retrieved the bodies of two people, including the 69-year-old male pilot, and two children from the upturned wreckage near the shoreline. The ages of the children were not immediately available, according to White, although they were younger than teens.

ATSB investigating the matter

The cause of the four-seater plane's crash is being investigated immediately after it took off from Redcliffe airfield, north east of Brisbane, around 9 a.m. Angus Mitchell, the chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said his agency is looking into the matter. According to early indications, the disaster happened not long after the takeoff.

Members of the pilot's family were at the Redcliffe airport at the time of the disaster, according to Queensland Police Inspector Craig White, The Guardian reported. The families found out what had happened when the plane did not return and they read posts on social media, according to White.

Plane observed floating upside down

As water police and forensic divers worked at the scene, the plane was observed floating upside down in the wake of the disaster. He urged any witnesses or anybody with information to contact Queensland Police or the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Mitchell said the ATSB was working to collect the wreckage, but it was difficult to bring a barge in since the tide had gone out.

“My understanding at the moment is it’s really ankle deep water, because the tide is going out. It was slightly deeper at the time of the accident,” Mitchell stated, according to The Guardian.

Police and divers were confronted with a difficult scenario, Queensland police commissioner Katarina Carroll said earlier on Sunday. The disaster location is near Redcliffe Airport, however it is unclear how long the plane was in the air before it fell or what caused it. The plane's pilot was not a member of the Redcliffe Aero Club, according to news.com.au.

(With inputs from agencies)

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