Three people remain missing and four others have been injured after a seaplane crashed near a popular tourist spot shortly after the plane took off.
The aircraft plunged into the water near Thompson Bay on Rottnest Island, around 19km off the coast of Perth, about 4pm on Tuesday.
Emergency services including water police and two RAC Rescue helicopters are among dozens of first responders involved in the major search and rescue operation.
Four people were rescued from the water including three, who have been airlifted to hospital, after they suffered injuries of varying levels of seriousness.
‘Water Police and a number of civilian vessels provided immediate aid in an attempt to assist in the rescue,’ WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said.
‘This is very much an unfolding situation and we are working to ascertain the details.’
Commissioner Blanch said the privately owned aircraft hit the water at Phillip Rock at the entrance of Thompson Bay.
Seven people are understood to have been on board the aircraft, the West Australian reports.
The aircraft (pictured) plunged into the water near Thompson Bay on Rottnest Island, around 19km off the coast of Perth, about 4pm on Tuesday
Four people were rescued from the water including three, who have been airlifted to hospital (pictured), after they suffered injuries of varying levels of seriousness
Commissioner Blanch thanked witnesses, who assisted with the rescue effort.
‘I do want to reassure the community that we have significant resources at [the] scene and we are doing everything that we can,’ Commissioner Blanch said.
It is not yet known what caused the plane to crash.
Several witnesses were left shocked by the crash and said the scene was chaotic.
‘I saw two injured people. One guy was limping. He needed support to get off the boat. He would have been in his late 30s maybe,’ Elisa Meazzi told Perth Now.
‘Then a woman in her 50s. Then one in her 20s.’
Another witness said he heard the sounds of police and emergency service vehicles and saw water police surrounding the plane in the ocean.
‘We didn’t know what had happened because we were on the other side of the island, so we drove past and then we saw these helicopters and we thought there must have been a plane crash,’ he said.
Some witnesses said the aircraft was seen moving from side to side before the left wing of the plane hit the water, Nine News reports.
Four people including the three, who suffered serious injuries, were rescued from the water and have been airlifted to hospital following the light plane crash (pictured)
Pictures from the scene showed the front half of the small aircraft submerged into the water.
Several parts of the plane were damaged following the collision including the wings of the aircraft.
The plane, which is a Cessna 208 Caravan 675, is operated by Swan River Seaplanes.
The aircraft is understood to have only arrived in WA on New Year’s Day after the plane flew in from Bankstown in Sydney’s west.
The plane can carry up to 14 passengers and the model was built and registered in 2016.
Some witnesses said the aircraft was seen moving from side to side before the left wing of the plane (pictured centre) hit the water
Swan River Seaplanes Director Kristy Bailey told the newspaper the company is working with authorities to ensure the safety of those on board the plane.
‘Our priority is our pilot and passengers,’ Ms Bailey said.
Rottnest Island, which is also known as Wadjemup, is a popular holiday spot in the summer months and attracts thousands of visitors.
The island, which is also home to the world-famous marsupial quokkas, has a small airport and various companies offer flights to and from the mainland.
