An amphibious aircraft equipped with boots, Cessna 208 Caravan 675, registration VH-WTY operated by Swan River Seaplanes, sank around 4pm local time yesterday while it was taking off in the waters off Rottnest Island, near Thomson Bay, in the Perth metropolitan area region, southwest Australia. Seven people were on board, three of whom died, three others were injured, while the seventh escaped unharmed. Among the victims were the pilot, a 34-year-old, a 65-year-old Swiss tourist and a 60-year-old Danish passenger. The injured, taken to hospital in Perth, were the 63-year-old partner of the Swiss woman, the 58-year-old partner of the Danish man, and another passenger originally from Western Australia.

Only when the aircraft stopped after hours at a depth of 8 meters was it possible to recover the bodies of the victims from the cockpit with the help of a diving unit.

According to a video posted on-line, the plane made a sharp turn immediately after takeoff that made the tip of its left wing touch the water, causing the pilot to lose control of the plane, which crashed into the water. Below is the video in question: