A passenger plane with 13 people on board disappeared over dense jungle in the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea today, the airline and Australian officials said.
Airlines PNG said the De Havilland Twin Otter 300 with 11 passengers and two crew had gone missing on a flight from the capital Port Moresby to the tourist destination of Kokoda.
"The last communication from the missing aircraft was received as it approached Kokoda and an extensive search and rescue mission was activated after it failed to land," ABC quoted the statement as saying.
An Australian tour company said eight Australian tourists and a tour guide were on the plane, along with a local tour guide.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said one Japanese citizen and three Papua New Guineans were also aboard. He said the aircraft had an emergency locator beacon, but no signal had been received.
Two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft combed the area and nearby airfields today but the search was hampered by low visibility and heavy cloud cover over rugged terrain.
Airlines PNG, listed on the PNG stock exchange, operates to domestic destinations and to northern Australia.
Australian tourists visit Kokoda to walk the Kokoda Track, where during World War Two Australian forces halted a Japanese troop advance on Port Moresby.
Reuters