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Three people have died after a light plane crashed while helping fight fires near Mount Isa, in Queensland's north-west.
Emergency crews spent hours travelling to the remote location this afternoon in the McKinlay area on the outskirts of Cloncurry after a local called police at 2.30pm (3.30pm AEST).
Police said the Rescue 400 helicopter found the wreckage "in difficult terrain" while ground crews made their way to the site.
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"Police officers arrived on scene around 5pm, where three people on board were located and confirmed deceased," a Queensland Police spokesperson said in a statement.
A resident told 9News they saw a plume of smoke rise about 30 kilometres off the Landsborough Highway.
The aircraft was contracted to support the bushfire response.
"It was engaged by QFES to conduct line scans, and travelling from Toowoomba to Mt Isa when it crashed near Cloncurry," a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson said in a statement.
"The cause of the crash is currently unknown."
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified and will conduct its own investigation.
The Forensic Crash Unit will investigate the crash of behalf of the coroner.
