A small passenger plane has crashed in Papua New Guinea, killing some of the 32 people on board.

The Airlines PNG Dash 8 aircraft crashed Thursday on a domestic flight from Lae to Madang on the island nation's northern coast.

Papua New Guinea's Accident Investigation Commission said some people were killed, but it was not clear how many.

Australian media say rescuers who reached the site found four survivors. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.