SYDNEY (Reuters) – Hundreds of hotel guests in a popular Australian tourist town were evacuated after a helicopter crashed into the roof of the hotel, authorities said on Monday.
Emergency crews were called at about 2 a.m. on Monday (1600 GMT on Sunday) after the crash at Hilton’s Double Tree Hotel in the northern city of Cairns, considered the gateway to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, media reported.
“The building was evacuated as a precaution and there were no injuries sustained by people on the ground. Police are on scene investigating the circumstances of the incident,” Queensland state police said in a statement.
Police did not specify the condition of the pilot or whether any passengers were on board but a video posted on social media showed a fire on the roof of the hotel.
Two of the helicopter’s propellers came off and one landed in the hotel pool, according to Australian media reports.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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