Officials in Micronesia say they are now looking for man who was unaccounted for in the crash of an Air Niugini flight that landed short of the runway at Chuuk Airport on Friday. Initial reports said that all 47 passengers and crew evacuated the Boeing 737-800 safely but revised the tally on Saturday to say that one was missing. It’s not clear if the man was seen after the crash or got missed in the head count but the Saturday statement said the airline was working with local police, medical authorities and investigators to find him. He has not been identified.
The aircraft ended up in a lagoon about 150 yards short of the single runway at Chuuk Airport in Weno. “It was supposed to land but instead of landing it was 150 yards short and she went down,” the airport manager toldReuters. It was reportedly raining heavily at the time. Seven passengers and crew were initially hospitalized but no serious injuries were reported. Chuuk is in the Caroline Islands between the Northern Mariana Islands to the north and Papua New Guinea to the south.
