Two men are confirmed dead and one is still missing after a rescue helicopter crashed into the sea off Mackay, on the central Queensland coast.
Two bodies have been found floating near the wreckage this morning.
A full scale search is under way for the other missing crew member.
The CQ Rescue chopper had been flying a standard mission to Hamilton Island to pick up an injured person.
The alarm was raised when the three-man crew failed to reach the island at around 10:30pm AEST on Friday.
With the help of air traffic control tapes, a helicopter search found the wreckage of the Bell 407 in the sea north-west of Mackay shortly after it was reported missing.
When first spotted, the helicopter was floating in the water with the aid of emergency floats. It has since sunk.
Police divers will shortly begin searching the wreckage, which is 6.5 metres underwater.
CQ Rescue Helicopter president John Bird says there is no obvious cause for the crash.
"All of the crew were experienced and the night last night was a clear night with very little wind, and there were no adverse weather conditions and the aircraft was shortly out from Mackay," he said.
ABC online