Police say two people have died and 18 people were injured when a small plane crashed through the rooftop of a commercial building in Southern California.

A light aircraft crashed near Rottnest Island off the Western Australian city of Perth killing two tourists from Switzerland and Denmark and the pilot, authorities said on Wednesday.

A seaplane crashed during takeoff from an Australian tourist island, killing three people including Swiss and Danish tourists and injuring three others.

A seaplane crash has claimed the lives of two overseas tourists and the pilot as it attempted to take off from Rottnest Island off the coast of Perth. Three other passengers were pulled to safety from the wreckage by people on nearby boats.