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The wreckage of a helicopter carrying five people has been found after it crashed in rugged terrain near Melbourne.
Two helicopters were travelling north in convoy from Melbourne’s CBD over Mount Disappointment, around 78km north of the city, when one aircraft reportedly disappeared just after 9.30am.
A major air and land search effort was launched involving multiple agencies, and a command post was set up at Mt Disappointment, near Whittlesea.
Victoria Police confirmed around 3pm the chopper had been located.
Emergency crews are being winched down to the crash site to check for survivors.
Air searches (pictured) were launched on Thursday morning after reports a helicopter had gone missing near Melbourne around 9.35am
Smoke from controlled burns in the area and low-lying cloud cover had hampered earlier search efforts.
Five Country Fire Authority vehicles and paramedics, including the air ambulance, were dispatched to the area after reports of a potential crash.
Ambulance Victoria said it was called to reports of an aviation incident at Mt Disappointment around 9.35am.
‘Crews are making their way to the scene and the air ambulance has been dispatched,’ Ambulance Victoria said in a statement.
Smoke (pictured) from controlled forestry burns in the area and low cloud cover had hampered initial search efforts
‘No further details are available at this stage.’
Seven fire trucks have been sent to the scene, including four trucks and three brigade vehicles, after being notified just after 10.20am.
‘[Country Fire Authority] crews are part of a multi-agency response to reports of an aircraft accident,’ a spokeswoman said.
‘[It] is supporting Victoria Police in the multi-agency response.’
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau was notified.
Mount Disappointment is a 800-metre mountain located on the southern end of the Great Dividing Range.
Five Country Fire Authority vehicles and paramedics, including the air ambulance, have been dispatched to the area
Source: Daily Mail
