Three bodies retrieved from Papua New Guinea plane crash site

Civil aviation authority chief Joseph Kintau said rescuers combing thick jungle had "pieced together" three sets of remains following Tuesday's crash which killed nine Australians, three Papua New Guineans and one Japanese.

"The team has pieced together three bodies before lunchtime today," Joseph Kintau told Australia's AAP news agency.

"Work is still going on, there is a lot of work going on at the site, but conditions are very difficult," he added.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said officials had spent three to four hours hiking to the crash site, which was at an altitude of 5,500 ft (1,676 metres) near the tourist town of Kokoda.

"A plane crash is always a tragedy. A plane crash which affects so many people, killing so many young people embarking on what has become a national pilgrimage, becomes an even deeper tragedy," Rudd told Australia's parliament.

The tourists were preparing to hike the Kokoda Track, which traces the site of a bloody World War II campaign fought between Australian and Japanese troops.