Officials reported that two helicopters collided mid-air on Australia's Gold Coast, killing four people. Photos from the scene showed one of the helicopter's rotors lying on a sand bank.

Three other people are in critical condition, police said. 
 
A few feet from the shore, one helicopter was lying on its side on the sand. Images from public broadcaster ABC showed that its rotors were nearby.
 
At the accident scene, which is close to the well-known Sea World marine theme park, the other helicopter appeared to be largely unharmed.

Three feared dead after two helicopters crashed on the Gold Coast in QLD Australia near Sea World. #helicoptercrash pic.twitter.com/vm77Gb4FY8

— News Media Network (@NewsMediaNetAU) January 2, 2023

Images of the aftermath showed a bright yellow rescue helicopter had landed nearby, its rotors spinning, with a large number of rescuers strewn about.

Breaking News
Four dead and three fighting for life after two Sea World helicopters collided in the air near the theme park - as paramedics work on 13 patients in the wreckage on a sandbank#SeaWorld #GoldCoast #Queensland #Australia #HelicopterCrash pic.twitter.com/6a92BDKfP8

— Brandi Worlds News (@BrandiSaari) January 2, 2023

A number of police and rescue boats waited nearby, just off the sandbank where the two aircraft's wreckage was scattered.

"Those two aircraft, when collided, have crash landed, and landed, on the sandbank just out from Sea World resort," Queensland police service acting inspector Gary Worrell told a news conference at the scene. 
 
"As a result of that, four people have lost their lives today," he said. "Three others are critical in hospital." 
 
An investigation into the incident—which Australia's transport safety bureau called a "mid-air collision"—was opened. A statement read that investigators would soon arrive to examine the debris, map the scene, and recover components for further analysis.