4 people rescued, 3 remain missing as seaplane crashes off an Australian island in Indian Ocean

The plane was returning to Perth, which is the Western Australia state capital 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Rottnest Island. The crashed plane was owned by Swan River Seaplanes, the Associated Press reported.

Australia’s aviation crash investigative agency, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said that specialist investigators were sent to the scene to search the missing persons and probe the cause of the crash.

ATSB’s chief commissioner Angus Mitchell, in a statement on Wednesday, said that “As reported to the ATSB, during take-off the floatplane collided with the water, before coming to rest partially submerged.”

A tourist, Greg Quin, witnessed the plane crash while he was vacationing at Rottnest Island. “We were watching the seaplane take off and just as it was beginning to get off the water, it just tipped over and it crashed,” Greg said as quoted by AP.

Greg further explained, “A lot of people in the water on their boats rushed to the scene and I think got there really, really quickly.”

The three injured people rescued in the crash were flown to a nearby hospital in Perth with serious but stable condition.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the sea plane crash as “terrible news”. He told ABC TV that “The pictures would have been seen by all Australians as they woke up this morning. My heart goes out to all those involved.”

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