A plane carrying 15 people crashed into dense forest in bad weather in Australia's remote far northeast, probably killing all on board, rescue authorities said Saturday. The twin propellor Fairchild Metroliner had been due to arrive at Lockhart River, an Aboriginal community of 350 people in Queensland state, about midday local time (0200 GMT), Australian Search and Rescue spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins said. Its wreck, burning in dense tropical forest on the side of a hill, was spotted from a search aircraft 11 kilometers (7 miles) northwest of the Lockhart River air strip late Saturday, Jiggins said. Rescuers had yet to reach the site, she said Saturday night. "It's impossible to say at this stage if there's been any survivors. It appears unlikely though," Jiggins told The Associated Press.
