Two American tourists are dead and two other tourists are injured after a sightseeing helicopter crashed near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, police said. The crash occurred just after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday local time, off the Whitsunday Islands, a cluster of islands near the barrier reef that is a popular tourist destination. For reasons yet to be determined, the helicopter — carrying five people — went down into the water near a large pontoon for snorkelers and divers close to the barrier reef, police said. The Heart Pontoon serves as a base for snorkelers and scuba divers exploring the nearby Hardy Reef, part of the Great Barrier Reef. This image from video footage shows boats at the scene of a helicopter crash at the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, on Thursday.

Source: Washington Post March 22, 2018 18:42 UTC