Five Die As Light Plane Crashes In North Queensland

A light plane crashed in heavy monsoon rains on the northeastern tip of Australia on Wednesday, killing all five people on board, police said.

The chartered flight, carrying four government workers and the pilot, had twice tried to land near Lockhart River, on Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula.

“The plane approached the landing strip and on the third occasion the plane has tragically crashed,” Chief Superintendent Chris Hodgman told reporters.

“We know that there were five people on board. The plane has crashed into some sand dunes. Nobody has survived that crash.”

Weather conditions had been “pretty rough,” given monsoonal rains, Hodgman said, adding it was too early to determine reasons for the crash and that police were investigating.

All passengers aboard the twin-engine Cessna 404 Titan aircraft were from Cairns.

Reporting by Melanie Burton.