A 48-year-old Australian man has died while walking Papua New Guinea’s Kokoda Track.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed the death, saying consular assistance is being provided to the man’s family.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family,” the department said in a statement on Tuesday. 

A spokesperson for Port Moresby’s Pacific International Hospital said the man fainted on the track on Sunday, the ABC reported.

His trekking group attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The Kokoda Track Authority has reportedly contacted PNG police to begin an investigation.

The 96km jungle track across the Owen Stanley Mountains was the scene of intense fighting between Australian and Japanese troops in World War II and is walked by thousands of Australians every year.