Passenger plane crashes at South Korean airport, 176 killed.
A passenger plane has crashed in South Korea.
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Plane Crash A plane carrying 181 passengers has crashed at an airport in South Korea. According to the Yonhap news agency, 176 people have been reported dead so far.
It turned off the runway during the Sunday accident at Muan International Airport in southwestern South Korea and crashed into the nearby wall. There were 175 passengers aboard at the time, supplemented by six crew members and flight attendants. Of the passengers, 173 were listed as South Korean nationals; another two were Thai citizens.
Plane Crash: The Jeju Air was returning from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, when it crashed while trying to land at the airport.
According to Yonhap, one passenger and one flight attendant have so far been rescued alive while rescue operations are still going on.
An airport official was quoted as saying by Reuters that rescuers were trying to evacuate passengers from the tail of the aircraft.
The medium-sized airport started operations in 2007 and flies to multiple Asian destinations.Plane Crash
According to Yonhap, one passenger and one flight attendant have been rescued alive so far, and rescue operations are underway.
An airport official told Reuters that rescuers were trying to evacuate passengers from the tail of the aircraft.
The mid-sized airport opened in 2007 and serves flights to several cities in Asia.
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Reasons are still unclear for the cause of the crash or as to why the plane had skidded off the runway.
Yonhap, however, suggested that a possible bird strike might have rendered the landing gear inoperative and caused this accident as a result.
Views of the plane skidding off the runway and hitting an airport wall were seen in an unverified video that was circulating on social media.
Before hitting the wall, flames were seen on one part of the aircraft.
Another video depicts thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
The South Korean Fire Department reported that over 80 firefighters and 32 fire engines are currently undertaking rescue efforts at the scene.
Airline Jeju has issued a statement expressing regret over the accident.
Jeju Airlines said it is very sorry for the accident.
“We would like to extend our most sincere apologies to all the people who were affected by the accident at Muan Airport,” a statement by the airline reads.
“We will do everything necessary. We are deeply sorry for this tragedy.”
This was the first accident in its history. It is South Korea’s largest but low-cost airline.
The country’s fire department suspects that the bird strike and bad weather might be the cause of the accident. Still, according to the fire service chief, Lee Jeong-hun, an investigation is being done to determine the real cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, all flights from Muan Airport have been canceled.
After the news of the accident, the acting president of the country, Choi Sang-mok, visited the site. His office said he had ordered that all necessary personnel, equipment, and medical services be mobilized for rescue operations.
He became the acting leader on Friday amid a political crisis involving the country’s president.
