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10th Jan 2017

Irish woman (29) in critical condition following plane crash in Australia

Conor Heneghan

The light aircraft crashed near Agnes Water in Queensland on Tuesday.

An Irish woman in her 20s is in critical condition following a plane crash on Australia’s east coast on Wednesday.

According to Queensland Police, an incident involving a private aircraft occurred at around 11am on Tuesday morning on the eastern side of Middle Island near the town of Agnes Water.

One of the four passengers, a woman in her 20s from the UK, died at the scene, while a 29-year old woman, believed to be from Ireland, was transported to Rockhampton Hospital with suspected head injuries and a possible fractured lower leg.

The pilot, a man in his sixties, was transferred to Bundaberg Hospital and is also said to be in a serious condition and a 13-year old boy was transferred to Rockhampton Hospital with minor injuries.

The occupants of the plane are believed to have been taking a day trip to Middle Island when the plane came down.

Commenting on the incident, Queensland Ambulance Service communications centre manager of Rockhampton, Mindy Thomas, told the Courier Mail: “One was following the other and has seen the first gone down.

“They (the second plane) have safely landed on the beach, at Middle Beach, and then they have called (Emergency Call) Triple-0.

“The aircraft is a small plane, I believe it is involved in tourist activities around that area.

“And (it is) unknown at this stage what has caused the aircraft to come down, but we did respond to four patients.”

The company involved in the incident, 1770 Castaway, issued a statement expressing their condolences with the families and loved ones of those involved in the tragedy and said that they would be co-operating fully with investigators.

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