Rescuers on Wednesday said they had found the wreckage of a missing PMT Air flight and were now cutting their way through thick jungle towards it.
A break in the appauling weather conditions which had hampered the search since the plane disappeared Monday morning local time had enabled searchers to hack their way into the area the plane was last seen, they said.
However there appeared to be little hope of finding survivors. The Antonov AN-24 was carrying 13 South Korean tourists, three Czechs, a Russian pilot and six Cambodians when it went down.
"We are just cutting our way towards it now. We can't say at this stage whether anyone survived, but we can say that the condition of the plane is bad," a rescue party member who declined to be named said.
The plane disappeared enroute between the northern temple city of Siem Reap and the beach resort of Sihanoukville in Chhuk district of Kampot province, about 150 kilometers south-west of the capital.
Civil aviation officials have said they suspect bad weather contributed to the crash. More details are expected to continue to emerge as the rescue continues.
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