A tragic incident unfolded in the northern Australian city of Cairns early Monday morning, as a helicopter crashed into the roof of a local hotel, resulting in the death of the pilot.

The accident occurred around 1:50 am local time, when the aircraft suddenly struck the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel on the city’s main esplanade. The impact triggered a fire and forced the evacuation of hundreds of guests from the hotel.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the helicopter flying low and erratically in rainy conditions, without its lights on, before the dramatic collision. Two of the helicopter’s rotor blades were torn off on impact, landing on the esplanade and in the hotel pool.

“It was just going out of control, that thing was,” one bystander said in footage of the fiery aftermath.

Tragically, authorities confirmed that the sole occupant of the helicopter, the pilot, died at the scene. Two elderly hotel guests, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s, were transported to the hospital in stable condition.

Queensland Police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have launched investigations to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the unauthorized flight and the cause of the fatal crash.

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In a statement, the helicopter’s operator, Nautilus Aviation, expressed its intention to cooperate fully with authorities as they examine the incident.

The city of Cairns, a popular tourist destination near the Great Barrier Reef, has been left in shock by the devastating accident. Local emergency services rushed to evacuate the hotel and secure the area, as the local community grapples with this tragic loss of life.