Three people are missing off the coast of Rottnest island near Perth after a seaplane carrying seven people crashed into the ocean. Four people were rescued, three of them with serious injuries, while the remaining three are unaccounted for. It is believed the privately-owned aircraft was taking off when it struck a small limestone outcrop.
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TVTranscript
00:00A privately owned aircraft carrying seven people, including the pilot, crashed near
00:07Thompson Bay in the water just behind me off of Rutnest Island.
00:12And as you said, authorities believe that it crashed during takeoff.
00:16One person escaped the incident unscathed, three were seriously injured and were airlifted
00:21to Perth for treatment, and another three still remain unaccounted for.
00:26Now yesterday's St John Ambulance did confirm that of those injured, two were women in their
00:31forties and all three are in a stable condition in Perth hospitals at the moment.
00:37Now we spoke to some eyewitnesses yesterday and they were shocked to see the crash.
00:42One man told us that he saw the plane taking off and just as it was coming off the water
00:46it tipped and crashed.
00:48But from multiple accounts it sounds like there was no hesitancy from people to quickly
00:53get in their boats and rush to the scene to help.
00:57And Grace what's the status of the search today, what are authorities up to now?
01:02Well the main focus for authorities today is undoubtedly to find those remaining three
01:07people who are still unaccounted for.
01:09We are receiving an update from the WA Premier Roger Cook at 9 o'clock local time and we're
01:14also expecting updates from police around mid-morning.
01:18Now the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will be investigating this crash to see exactly
01:23what went wrong.
01:24They've said that they will deploy investigators from the Perth, Brisbane and Canberra office.
01:29The ATSB also said they'll be wanting to speak to people who were on the plane and anyone
01:34who witnessed the crash.
01:35But in the meantime we wait and we hope that those final three people are found today.