Plane carrying 32 crashes in Papua New Guinea

PORT MORESBY (Papua New Guinea): A plane carrying 32 people crashed in the wilds of Papua New Guinea today with an unknown number of casualties, Australian media reported. The Airlines PNG Dash 8 aircraft crashed while flying from Lae to Madang on the South Pacific island nation's north coast, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported. The country's Accident Investigation Commissionspokesman, Sid O'Toole, said there were 32 people on board when the twin-propellor plane crashed 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Madang, ABC reported. "There were reports of fire and there have been some fatalities," O'Toole said. He said there were survivors but it was not clear how many. ABC later reported unconfirmed reports of four survivors. Police and ambulances had reached the crash site and investigators would travel there tomorrow, O'Toole said. Phone calls to national police headquarters in Port Moresby and the civil aviation authority went unanswered.