The body of a male passenger from the Air Niugini flight that crashed in the Federated States of Micronesia on Friday has been found in the Chuuk Lagoon.
The Air Niugini plane in the lagoon off Weno airport in Chuuk. Photo: AFP or licensors
The airline has released a statement saying it was in touch with the man's family and arrangements were being made to repatriate his body.
Air Niugini said the circumstances surrounding the accident were now a matter for the relevant authorities.
Earlier the airline had said none of the 47 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 737 had died, although several were seriously injured.
US Navy divers inspected the submerged aircraft which appeared to support those reports however a further search of the surrounding area and the plane, discovered the man's body.
Micronesian investigator to bring PX73 blackbox to PNG
The black box and data recorders from the Air Niugini aircraft is returning to Port Moresby
The plane belonging to PNG's national carrier was trying to land at Weno airport in Chuuk when it ended up in the nearby lagoon.
PNG's Civil aviation Minister Alfred Manase said PNG and FSM investigators were working together to probe what happened on PX73.
Under the protocols what has happened is that FSM has now taken charge of the investigation, and they have delegated the function of decoding the recorders to the PNG Accident Investigation Commission.
Mr Manase said a Micronesian investigator would accompany the plane's recorders to Port Moresby.
"We've got the lab here in Port Moresby that do all those things, so they will bring the black box across and then for our technicians here to decode it all up and see what happens," he said.
"And also, it's part of the training for some of the investigators to be participating in the process as well."
