TWO doctors from Europe were today identified as the victims of a plane crash that happened in northeast Australia yesterday.
Yugoslavia-born Dr. Dan Rainolds, 48, and his Dutch partner Dr. Myrthe Runne, 37, were both killed on impact when their Bede BD-4 plane came down in the state of Queensland yesterday.
The couple, who had been working in remote regions of Australia as doctors since 2006, were reportedly heading back to their Queensland home for a few weeks off when the aircraft crashed near Mundubbera, a small town some 405km northwest of the state capital Brisbane.
They leave behind a young son.
In a 2007 interview about his passion for working with remote communities, Rainolds said, “When you see a patient who has travelled over 450km one way, to see you or bring their sick child to see you, it puts your life in perspective.
“Since we left Yugoslavia we have been to many places. I lived and worked in some of the most remote areas of the Pacific. I made some good friends on the way, but I did not feel the need to stop until I came to Australia.”