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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Two die in plane crash watched by Australia Day crowd | Two die in plane crash watched by Australia Day crowd |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man and a woman have died in a light plane crash in Perth as a crowd celebrating Australia Day watched on. | A man and a woman have died in a light plane crash in Perth as a crowd celebrating Australia Day watched on. |
| The Grumman G-73 "Mallard" flying boat nosedived into Swan River in Western Australia's capital just after 17:00 local time on Thursday. | The Grumman G-73 "Mallard" flying boat nosedived into Swan River in Western Australia's capital just after 17:00 local time on Thursday. |
| Pilot Peter Lynch, 52, and his girlfriend Endah Cakrawati, 30, were the sole occupants, police said. | Pilot Peter Lynch, 52, and his girlfriend Endah Cakrawati, 30, were the sole occupants, police said. |
| An annual fireworks celebration, expected to draw 300,000 people to the river, was immediately cancelled. | An annual fireworks celebration, expected to draw 300,000 people to the river, was immediately cancelled. |
| Western Australia Police acting commissioner Stephen Brown said the cause of the crash was being investigated. | Western Australia Police acting commissioner Stephen Brown said the cause of the crash was being investigated. |
| "I was actually standing on the Perth foreshore doing a live cross to one of the TV channels when the tragic events unfolded in the sky above me," he said on Friday. | "I was actually standing on the Perth foreshore doing a live cross to one of the TV channels when the tragic events unfolded in the sky above me," he said on Friday. |
| "It clearly had broken at least in two significant parts, and was sinking very quickly." | "It clearly had broken at least in two significant parts, and was sinking very quickly." |
| Mr Lynch, a mining executive, was a member of the aviation enthusiast community Great Eastern Fly-In. | |
| "Peter was a man of vision and one with a passion for aviation and was well-loved and respected in our close-knit flying and local community," the group said in a statement. | |
| Ms Cakrawati worked as a public relations manager for Cokal, an Australian-listed coal company. | |
| Crowd shocked | Crowd shocked |
| Witness Lloyd Douglas, who was on a nearby boat, said the plane appeared to stall as it turned towards the city. | Witness Lloyd Douglas, who was on a nearby boat, said the plane appeared to stall as it turned towards the city. |
| "As he banked left he seemed to go further to the left ... and lose forward momentum and lost altitude fairly quickly," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. | "As he banked left he seemed to go further to the left ... and lose forward momentum and lost altitude fairly quickly," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. |
| Another onlooker, Craig Newill, said the accident shocked his family. | Another onlooker, Craig Newill, said the accident shocked his family. |
| "[The] wings were pointing to the sky and to the water and we thought 'this is not good', then we saw it break into two pieces," he told Perth Now. | "[The] wings were pointing to the sky and to the water and we thought 'this is not good', then we saw it break into two pieces," he told Perth Now. |
| Mr Brown told reporters it was fortunate the plane did not hit the crowd. | Mr Brown told reporters it was fortunate the plane did not hit the crowd. |
| "For reasons yet unknown, it's entered the waterway, thankfully without injuring anyone else on the ground or any other people who are here the event," he said. | "For reasons yet unknown, it's entered the waterway, thankfully without injuring anyone else on the ground or any other people who are here the event," he said. |
| Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the fireworks were cancelled out of respect to the victims and to "conserve the integrity of the [crash] site". | Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the fireworks were cancelled out of respect to the victims and to "conserve the integrity of the [crash] site". |
| The plane remained in the river overnight. | The plane remained in the river overnight. |