The collision happened around 2 p.m. local time near the popular tourist strip of Main Beach on the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane, CNN reported.
“Those two aircraft, when collided, crash landed on the sand bank just out from Sea World Resort,” Queensland Police spokesman Gary Worrell, a regional duty officer for the southeastern region, told reporters.
He added it had been difficult for emergency services to access the sand bank, located not far from the coast.
Thirteen people were on the two helicopters, according to Jayney Shearman, from the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS). Of those, four people died, three suffered serious injuries and six had minor injuries, including cuts from shattered glass.
All the injured had been taken to hospital, she said.
Photos from the site show debris lying on a strip of sand, with personnel gathered on land and numerous vessels in the surrounding waters.
Angus Mitchell, Chief Commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said in a statement that an investigation had been launched into the collision.
Investigators from the ATSB’s offices in Brisbane and Canberra will be deployed to the scene to gather evidence, examine the wreckage and map the site, as well as interview witnesses and involved parties, Mitchell added.
Sea World Drive is the main access point for the marine park that’s popular with tourists on the heart of the Gold Coast. It’s peak tourist season in the region right now, with schools closed for the long summer break.
MNA/PR