Plane crash in Papua New Guinea kills 28; Aust., NZ pilots said to be among survivors

GlobalPost

A plane crash in Papua New Guinea has killed 28 of the 32 people on board, according to reports.

The Australian Associated Press reports that four people are believed to have survived the crash, including two pilots — one from Australia, and one from New Zealand.

The plane, an Airlines PNG Dash 8 aircraft, crashed Thursday near the resort town of Madang on the South Pacific island nation's northern coast, the Associated Press reports, citing Australian media.

Airlines PNG confirmed the crash in a statement posted on the company's website. The airline's Dash 8 fleet of 12 aircraft have been grounded until further notice.

The airline said 28 passengers and 4 crew members were on board the plane, and rescue and recovery efforts were underway in the early hours of Friday. The plane is said to have crashed in dense jungle, while Madang residents told reporters there had been a violent storm in the area at the time of the crash.

"There appear to be some survivors while a number of people remain unaccounted for," the airline said in a statement. "Our prayers and thoughts are now with all those affected by this very sad day for Papua New Guinea."

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According to the statement, local authorities "have quarantined aviation fuel at Lae airport from where the aircraft originated." 

The number of casualties has not been officially confirmed. Australia's Herald Sun newspaper is also reporting that 28 people have died, with four surviving the plane crash.

Port Moresby-based journalist Malum Nalu told the Sydney Morning Herald that the plane was forced to make an emergency landing because of a fire on board. ''The pilots survived but many others didn't,'' Nalu told the newspaper.

Airlines PNG, based in Port Moresby, operates a number of domestic routes within Papua New Guinea, and also offers international flights to Australia.

The turboprop plane was traveling from the town of Lae, and crashed near the mouth of the Gogol River about 12 miles south of Madang, a popular hub for expatriate NGO staff in northern Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea lacks internal roads in the country, and so many people rely on air travel. More than 20 planes have crashed in Papua New Guinea since 2000, Agence France-Presse reports.

The Herald Sun says Australia has scrambled four Black Hawk helicopters to help in search and rescue efforts. The Black Hawks were in Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, for a joint defense exercise.

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