At least 12 tourists injured at the famous Kimberley Waterfalls after a terribly bad tourist trip have been transferred to Perth before being taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment.
The most seriously injured were taken to Perth and the first patients were taken on three Royal Flying Doctor Services flights which arrived shortly after 8pm on Friday.
Two men got off the plane, one with a bandage on his head and around his legs, while three women were transported in stretches.
The women were loaded into a large ambulance believed to have been used to transport COVID patients from infected cruises during the pandemic.
Camera Icon Patients are transferred by RFDS to Jandakot Airport. Credit: Matt Jelonek / The West Australian
It is understood that none of the injured have life-threatening injuries.
Five other patients were rushed to Perth around 10pm and two others arrived early on Saturday.
The Falls Express, operated by Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, was touring the natural wonder of Talbot Bay, about 250 miles northeast of Broome, when it ran into trouble with 26 passengers and two crew on board heading for 7 a.m. Friday.
The risky attraction, popular with thrill seekers, features two narrow, steep rock gorges in the bay that turn into rapids when the water is forced to cross them at the changing tides.
WA Regional Police Commander Brad Sorrell said that while the circumstances leading up to the incident were still under investigation, several people had been thrown into the water.
The age range of the injured was unknown on Friday night, but no children were involved. It is understood that several patients have serious but not fatal injuries.
In a statement Friday, tour operator Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures said Falls Express was guided by an experienced skipper when the boat was in trouble while traveling through the waterfalls.
Camera icon Patients are transferred by RFDS to Jandakot Airport on May 27, 2022. Credit: Matt Jelonek / The West Australian
“The ship immediately returned to the pontoon,” the statement said. “(We) continue to contact RFDS and emergency services to handle the incident.”
Horizontal Falls attracts tourists from all over the world, with its fast tidal currents squeezing between two narrow gorges in what Sir David Attenborough called “one of the world’s greatest natural wonders”.
The iconic waterfalls, known for their fast tides, host frequent jet boat excursions.