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The survivors of a horrific mid-air helicopter crash near Sea World in Australia have spoken of the final moments on board the doomed flight.

Four people were killed in the January 2 crash on the Gold Coast.

The crash was confirmed by Queensland Police who closed the nearby Main Beach where the debris landed.

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According to 9News in Australia, witnesses saw the crash, followed by "a loud noise and bits of debris flying".

Another witness said there was a "massive bang", while a woman and son were reportedly seen "in tears" on the helipad at Sea World.

Survivors Edward and Marle Swart who were were on holiday at the time with friends Elmarie and Riaan Steenberg – who are still recovering – have now spoken out.

She said: “We thought it’s just a five-minute flight, that’ll be fun.”

She also said she realised there was a “helicopter underneath me", adding: “I knew we were in serious trouble.”

The deaths and injuries reported had come from one helicopter, while local news claimed that just "six minor injuries" came as a result of the other one.

The video taken inside the cockpit of the helicopter show the final seconds of the flight near the theme park, and it has been reviewed to try to establish key moments that led to the tragedy, with one believing both helicopters were in each other's blindspots.

The footage appears to show the rising helicopter may have been hidden from the surviving pilot's line of sight by the cockpit fuselage.

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And the descending chopper, above and to the right, may have been obscured by the angle as it was above chief pilot Ash Jenkinson, who was on the far side of his aircraft with two passengers to his right.

It is believed the unusual detail in the seating on the two luxury helicopters could have played a role in the tragedy.

Queensland Police's Gary Worrell said at the time: "One airframe has the windscreen removed and it's landed safely on the island.

"The other airframe has crashed, and it was upside down.

"Members of the public and police tried to remove the people and they commenced first aid and to try and get those people to safety out of the airframe that was upside down."

An investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau isn't expected to report its final verdict on what happened until 2024.

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