A pilot has died after their helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in the northern Queensland city of Cairns.

The aircraft hit the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel at around 0150am local time on Monday (1650B Sunday), sparking a fire and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of guests.

Queensland Police confirmed the only occupant of the helicopter died at the scene.

Two hotel guests – a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s – were taken to hospital in a stable condition, the state’s ambulance service said.

British tourist Alastair Salmon was staying in the hotel, which is on the main esplanade in Cairns, and told The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) he woke up to “a colossal ear-deafening bang”.

Two of the helicopter’s rotor blades came off and landed on the esplanade and in the hotel pool, according to the ABC.

Mr Salmon, from London, said that after being evacuated he initially mistook the helicopter’s rotor blade for a lamppost.

“Then we looked up there and you could see this massive hole in the window of the building,” Mr Salmon told the ABC.

Streets around the hotel have been cordoned off and an emergency situation was declared by police.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says it is sending investigators to the scene.

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