In The Australian
Plane crashes near North Stradbroke Island, Brisbane
AAP May 09, 2015 2:10PM
UPDATE - 2.01pm: One person has died after an ultralight plane crashed into the sea off North Stradbroke Island, police have confirmed. Despite fears for five other people, nobody else was on board the plane, a police spokesman has since said. An Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokeswoman said the male pilot crashed after taking off from an airstrip at Dunwich, on the island, about 10am.
“It’s still not clear where the destination was,” she said.
Originally published as:Six feared dead in plane crash
A light aircraft has crashed into the sea off North Stradbroke Island, with fears those on board are unlikely to have survived.
Emergency services are scouring the area after it plunged into the ocean on Saturday morning.
It was unclear how many people were on board and police would only confirm that it was a six-seater aircraft.
Television crews have tweeted photos of wreckage as helicopters search the area.
An Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokeswoman said a distress beacon was activated at 11.20am, about four nautical miles south of Point Lookout.
Police say there is currently no information to suggest how many people were aboard the flight or what caused the crash.
An exclusion zone is being put in place and will encompass George Nothling Drive and The Causeway.
AAP