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Australia helicopter collision: Father seeks prayers for 10-year-old fighting for life

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Divers at the sceneImage source, EPA
Image caption,

Police divers have been at the scene of the crash

The husband of a woman killed in a helicopter crash on Australia's Gold Coast, has sought prayers for their son, who is fighting for his life.

"I ask everyone to pray for the little man. He is on life support in a critical condition," Simon Tadros said.

He witnessed the collision between two Sea World sightseeing helicopters on Monday, which killed his 36-year-old wife Vanessa and three others.

Three people, including their 10-year-old son Nicholas, are in hospital.

"May God pull him back with me and make a good recovery," Mr Tadros added in his post on Facebook.

An online crowdfunder started by Ms Tadros' friend Rochelle Fajloun described Ms Tadros as a "much-loved and highly respected mother".

"We are praying for a miracle that our Nicky... can be brought back to his grief stricken father Simon," Ms Fajloun wrote on the page.

About AU$15,000 ($10,200; 拢8,500) has been raised so far.

In a separate post on Ms Tadros' business page, Mr Tadros said his "beautiful wife and mother to my son" had been killed in the accident.

Investigators are looking at what caused the collision, particularly the situation in the two cockpits at the time.

All those killed and badly injured were in the ascending helicopter, which collided with another helicopter that was landing less than 20 seconds after taking off from a sandbar.

Image source, Facebook
Image caption,

Diane and Ron Hughes married last year

The other victims included British couple Diane Hughes, 57, and her 65-year-old husband Ron.

The fourth fatality was 40-year-old Ashley Jenkinson, an experienced Sea World Helicopters pilot who lived in the area. The Brisbane Times reported he was originally from England.

Five of the six people on board the descending helicopter suffered minor injuries.