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Remains hanging in jungle may be WWII airman

A group of hikers climbing a mountain trail in Papua New Guinea spotted what they think to be the remains of a World War II airman hanging in the jungle canopy, Australian newspapers reported Thursday.

David Collins, a guide with Melbourne’s No-Roads trekking company, informed Australian, U.S. and Japanese authorities of the find, and they are now investigating the remains, according to the Melbourne Herald Sun.

“It wasn’t until the wind blew that you could really see it is in a harness, there are goggles and it appears to be caught up in cables, so presumably it is an airman,” Collins was quoted as saying in the Herald Sun.

The Kokoda Trail, near where the moss-covered remains were found, was the scene of intense fighting between Australian and Japanese forces during World War II. A spokesman for the Australian Defense Force said a World War II Allied flight path passed close to the site.