The accident occurred on Monday near the country’s Sea World where visitors were having a good time. Reports say the guests suddenly heard “a massive, massive bang”, realizing that two Sea World helicopters had crashed into each other.
Holiday visitors and people enjoying the water rushed to help the injured as debris covered an area that police said was difficult to access.
Ron Hughes, 65, and wife Diane, 57, from Merseyside in England, were in one of the helicopters and died in the crash. They only married in 2021.
The 40-year-old pilot, Ash Jenkinson, who reportedly grew up in the West Midlands, was named as the third British victim.
He had worked as a chief pilot at Sea World Helicopters since 2019.
Friends praised his mentorship and the assistance he provided during catastrophic floods in the New South Wales town of Ballina last year.
He became a father in 2022, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
The fourth person killed in the crash is Vanessa Tadros, 36, a mum from the Sydney suburb of Glenmore Park.
Three other passengers remain in hospital, including a 10-year-old boy, also from Glenmore Park, who is in a critical condition.
Their helicopter had been in the air for less than 20 seconds when it collided with another Sea World Helicopter attempting to land.
The pilot of the second aircraft managed to land safely on a sandy outcrop despite it being damaged in the smash.
The passengers onboard the second aircraft included two couples in their 40s from New Zealand and a 27-year-old woman from Western Australia.
