At least 124 people were killed when an airliner landed without wheels, veering off the runway and erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at South Korea's Muan International Airport on Sunday, the national fire agency said, APA reports citing Reuters.
Jeju Air fight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital Bangkok with 181 people on board, was attempting to land shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the airport in the south of the country, South Korea's transport ministry said.
It is the deadliest air accident involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades, according to ministry data.
The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 can be seen in video from local media skidding down the runway with no apparent landing gear before slamming into a wall in an explosion of flame and debris. Other photos showed smoke and fire engulfing parts of the plane.
Two crew members, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane, Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told a briefing. The fire was extinguished as of 1 p.m., Lee said.
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08:44
At least 179 have been killed in a plane crash at Muan International Airport in South Korea’s South Jeolla Province, APA reports citing the Yonhap news agency.
There were 175 passengers and six crew members on board the plane.
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08:10
At least 85 have been killed in a plane crash at Muan International Airport in South Korea’s South Jeolla Province, APA reports citing the Yonhap news agency.
There were 175 passengers and six crew members on board the plane.
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05:01
At least 28 people were dead on Sunday after an airliner went off the runway and crashed at South Korea's Muan International Airport, APA reports citing the Yonhap news agency.
The accident occurred as the Jeju Air plane, carrying 175 passengers and six crew on a flight from Thailand, was landing at the airport in the south of the country, the report said.
Two people were found alive as the rescue mission was continuing, according to Yonhap.
Authorities were working to rescue people in the tail section, an airport official told Reuters.
Photos shared by local media showed smoke and flame engulfing parts of the plane.
Acting President Choi Sung-mok, who was named interim leader of the country on Friday after the previous acting president was impeached amid an ongoing political crisis, ordered all-out rescue efforts, his office said.
A Jeju Air spokesperson said the airline was checking the reports.
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