PNG HAUSBUNG has confirmed that the wreckage of a North Coast Aviation (NCA) plane has been located from the air by a Manolos Aviation rescue helicopter, however, no sign of survivors has been reported yet.
The aircraft, believed to have been carrying the First Assistant Secretary of the Housing Ministry and other officials, was en route from Tewai Siassi district to Lae but failed to arrive as scheduled on Saturday 21st December.
Deputy Prime Minister and Lae MP John Rosso, revealed in an update that he joined the first helicopter flight from Lae at 5:30 a.m. today alongside the Manolos Aviation rescue team to inspect the crash site.
Rosso noted that while the helicopter was unable to land at the site, the team successfully pinpointed the wreckage’s exact grid coordinates.
“At this stage, I cannot confirm the status of any survivors,” Rosso stated, explaining that a specialist team from the PNG Defence Force equipped with winching gear is being deployed to the crash site via Manolos Aviation helicopters.
The North Coast Aviation aircraft was expected to arrive in Lae at 10 a.m. Saturday morning but failed to do so, following a thunderstorm on Friday night.