Two pilots are among the four people who have survived a plane crash on Papua New Guinea's north coast that killed 28 people.

A small plane crashed Wednesday evening in dense forest, near the mouth of the Gogol River, about 20 kilometers south of the resort center of Madang.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that the survivors included two pilots from Australia and New Zealand.

The Australian daily The Herald Sun reports that the survivors were taken to a clinic near the crash site.

The plane was flying from the mountain gateway city of Lae to coastal Madang. Most of the people on board were family members of local university students going to a graduation ceremony. Witnesses say there was a violent storm at the time of the crash.

Papuan officials say an investigation is underway.