SYDNEY, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Three people are missing and three more have been hospitalized with serious injuries after a seaplane crashed off the coast of Western Australia (WA).
WA Police said on Tuesday night that the privately owned plane crashed into the water after hitting a large rock near Rottnest Island, about 20 km off the coast of Perth, at about 4 p.m. local time.
Seven people, including the pilot, were on board at the time. Three people were pulled from the water with serious injuries and airlifted to nearby hospitals while a fourth person was rescued uninjured.
A major search for the three missing people was launched and continued until being suspended overnight.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said at a press conference on Tuesday night that water police and a number of civilian vessels provided immediate aid to assist the rescue effort.
"I do want to reassure the community that we have significant resources on scene, and we are doing everything that we can," he said.
Aerial vision of the scene captured by television crews showed the plane nose down in the water with debris floating nearby.
The Premier of WA, Roger Cook, said in a statement posted on social media that images of the scene were deeply concerning.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that the seaplane involved in the incident was brand new.
Witness Greg Quin told ABC radio that the plane crashed moments after taking off from Thomson Bay on the island's east coast.
Rottnest Island is a popular tourism destination known for its population of quokkas -- a small species of marsupial -- and is serviced by several companies offering air transfers from Perth. ■
