An Air Niugini aircraft ditched into a lagoon after overshooting the runway on the remote island of Weno but there were no serious injuries, local media reports said. / AFP PHOTO / JAMES YAINGELUO
By Alfred Acenas
Eagle News Service EBC Hawaii Bureau
(Eagle News) – Ten Filipinos were among the 47 passengers and crew members rescued after the plane they were riding in, Air Niugini Flight 73, crashed into the sea short of the runway of the international airport in Weno, Chuuk in the Western Pacific nation of Micronesia on Friday.
The Boeing 737 aircraft hit the lagoon at 9:30am local time (11:30am Philippine time).
A group of small boats responded to the scene, rescuing all 47 passengers and crew.
Cel Perez Pendergraft, a Filipina residing in Micronesia, said that nine Filipino passengers were among the plane survivors who were taken to the Chuuk State Hospital for treatment.
A tenth Filipino, a flight crew member, was later identified and treated as well.
Air Nuigini is the national airline of Papua New Guinea and is expected to take part in a subsequent investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
The Air Niugini Boeing 737 was attempting to land at Weno airport in Micronesia but ended up half submerged in Chuuk lagoon after the accident on Friday morning.
The airline said the plane, which was making a scheduled stop on its way from the Micronesian capital Pohnpei to Port Moresby, had “landed short of the runway”.
Remarkably, it said there were no serious injuries.
“Air Niugini can confirm that all on board were able to safely evacuate the aircraft,” the firm said in a brief statement.
“The airline is making all efforts to ensure the safety and immediate needs of our passengers and crew.”
It did not detail what caused the accident.
(with a report from Agence France Presse)