Three people have died after a firefighting aircraft crashed this afternoon near Cloncurry, in north-west Queensland.
Key points:
- Police and QFES personnel from Cloncurry and Julia Creek are attending the site where three people have died in a plane crash
- The aircraft was en route from Toowoomba to conduct mapping of recent bushfires in outback Queensland
- The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified
Police said emergency services were attending the site of an "unsurvivable" aircraft crash, near the Eloise Copper Mine, which is about 70 kilometres south of Cloncurry.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) confirmed the aircraft was contracted to support the Queensland bushfire response.
QFES said the aircraft was travelling from Toowoomba to Mount Isa to conduct line scans when it crashed.
It is believed those onboard were mapping areas of recent bushfire activity in western Queensland and gathering vital terrain data for use during bushfire emergencies.
"Just after 2:30pm on Saturday, police were contacted by a local community member alerting officers to the crash," a statement from Queensland Police said.
Officers from Mount Isa and a rescue helicopter were initially sent to the crash site, which police said was in difficult terrain.
Superintendent Tom Armitt of the Mount Isa Police District said investigations were in their earliest stages.
"Police are responding from Cloncurry and Julia Creek to enable our disaster victim identification unit and our forensic crash unit to access the site," he said.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar 24 showed a Gulfstream Aerospace Jetprop Commander aircraft took off from the Toowoomba Aerodrome at 10:54am.
It travelled north-west towards Mount Isa, before disappearing off the radar at the site of the crash just after 2:30pm.
The plane is believed to be registered to and operated by Agair Logistics, a Victorian company that operates firefighting aircraft, as well as aircraft for agriculture and mapping purposes.
Agair Logistics has been contacted for comment.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesperson said the organisation had been informed about the crash and was gathering further information.
Region affected by bushfires
Dangerous bushfires threatened the Mount Isa region in late October when firefighters struggled to contain three major blazes, all of which had since been brought under control.
In the Barkly region, near the Queensland-Northern Territory border, at least 3 million hectares of land had been destroyed by fires.
The QFES offered "its deepest condolences to the families of the three people who tragically lost their lives" in the crash.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families at this time," a spokesperson said.
"Side by side we have been fighting these bushfires and their loss is felt by all."
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2023-11-04 07:05:33Z
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