Investigations are under way in Cairns into whether a helicopter that crashed into a hotel in the middle of the night was stolen.

The pilot died after hitting the DoubleTree by Hilton about 2am, with propeller blades landing in its pool and the main street.

New reports claim charter company Nautilus Aviation say its helicopter was stolen, and police are waiting for the pilot to be identified.

Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says investigations are still ongoing.

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