Six people have been killed in a plane crash at an Australian tourist resort.
The small plane crashed after taking off from Hamilton Island, officials said.
Mr Peter Gibson of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio the single-engine Piper Cherokee crashed in flames into a quarry at the end of the runway of the Great Barrier Reef airport.
"At this stage we have no information about the people on board, who they were or in fact where they were going to," Mr Gibson said. "We probably presume it was a charter flight. That would be typical of the sorts of operations you get on those resort islands".
Air safety sources said they believed four of the dead were foreigners.
Mr Gibson said he understood the weather at the time of the crash was fine and calm and said investigators would start their work at first light tomorrow.
Hamilton Island is considered a top resort in the tropical Whitsundays, famous for their beaches and crystal clear waters.