Air Niugini admits passenger missing after 737 splashdown

Pacific carrier Air Niugini has disclosed that it is searching for a missing passenger following the crash of a Boeing 737-800 as it attempted to land at Chuuk in Micronesia. The airline had originally stated that all 35 passengers and 12 crew members had been able to evacuate the aircraft safely after it came down in the sea. But Air Niugini has revealed that it is “unable to account” for one of the male passengers on board flight PX073. While Air Niugini had first stated, in the aftermath of the accident, that it “can confirm” that all on board were able to safely evacuate, it now refers to “initial on-scene reports” that had “indicated” as much. “The airline confirms that all other passengers and crew have been accounted for,” says the carrier, without specifying how it has ascertained this information. <br/>