The pilot of an abandoned helicopter that was taken from its hangar for a "unauthorised flight" perished when it collided with a hotel's roof in the Australian vacation destination of Cairns.

A broken rotor blade that fell into the hotel pool and an explosion that ignited a fire on the roof in the wee hours of the morning forced hundreds of guests to be evacuated.

According to Queensland state police, the twin-engine helicopter struck the Hilton Double Tree Hotel in the city of Queensland at roughly 2 a.m. local time on Monday (4 p.m. GMT on Sunday), prompting the dispatch of emergency personnel.

Police said the helicopter had been taken for an “unauthorised flight” but did not elaborate further. The pilot, who has yet to be identified and was the only person in the aircraft, was declared dead at the scene.

Amanda Kay, a local resident, said she saw the crash happen from her balcony nearby. “There was a light chopper and it was flying super low, with no clearance lights on,” she told the AFP news agency.

She added: “It was flying so erratically. There was this huge explosion because it had crashed into the building. It was a big bang.”

Images and a video from the scene showed a bright plume of fire on the hotel’s roof.

“They just flew into that building,” a female voice said in one video shared on social media that captured the aftermath. 

“Madness, man,” she added as sirens blared in the background. “Shivers. People were living in that. It smashed right in.”