28 found dead after plane crashes in Papua New Guinea

2011-10-14 18:56:29 GMT+7 (ICT)

PORT MORESBY (BNO NEWS) -- A total of 28 people were killed on late Thursday afternoon when a passenger plane crashed during bad weather in the northern region of mainland Papua New Guinea, the airline said on Friday.

The accident happened at around 5.30 p.m. local time when the Dash-8 aircraft operated by Airlines PNG crashed about three kilometers (1.8 mile) from Marakum, a village in Madang province. A total of 28 passengers and 4 crew members were on board.

"The company has established there was an emergency situation onboard its Dash-8 aircraft, on approach to Madang airport," the airline said in a statement. "It has also been confirmed there was bad weather in the area at the time."

Airlines PNG said the crew of the aircraft attempted to carry out an emergency landing but the plane broke up on impact, causing a part of the fuselage to catch fire. It took rescue workers several hours to reach the scene because it was not immediately known where the accident took place.

Erastus Kamburi, a spokesman for Airlines PNG, confirmed 27 passengers and one crew member were killed as a result of the accident. Three crew members and one Chinese passenger survived the accident and were taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The crew members who survived the accident were identified as Australian pilot Captain Bill Spencer, New Zealand First Officer Campbell Wagstaff, and local flight attendant Kapi Eria. The identities of the passengers were not immediately released, but Airlines PNG said the 27 passengers who were killed were local nationals.

The airline said the investigation will consider a number of possible causes, including weather, fuel, a possible mid-air fire and any mechanical issues. As a precaution, Airlines PNG grounded its remaining 11 Dash-8 aircraft until it is satisfied there are no safety issues with the fleet.

"This is our commitment to the people of PNG, the families of those lost, and the survivors of this terrible tragedy: we will give you our total support in the days and months ahead," Kamburi said. "We will do whatever is needed to find the answers as to what happened and to share those answers with you all."

Airlines PNG said Transport Canada will be involved in the investigation because the Dash-8 aircraft was manufactured in Canada. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said its help had also been requested and dispatched a team of four investigators to the crash site.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-14

there is other news conforming about 32 deaths .. ?