At the very least 85 folks have been killed when a passenger aircraft crashed and caught fireplace after skidding off the runway at Muan Worldwide Airport in South Korea on Sunday morning.
The accident occurred at 9:03 am native time (00:03 GMT), involving a Jeju Air flight that had simply arrived from Bangkok, Thailand, carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew members.
The Boeing 737-800 jet, which was making an attempt to land in Muan, reportedly encountered a malfunction in its touchdown gear.
Eyewitnesses and media footage present the plane making a stomach touchdown on the runway earlier than skidding and erupting right into a catastrophic fireplace. A sequence of explosions adopted, sending thick black smoke into the sky.
South Korea’s Nationwide Hearth Company confirmed that 85 folks, together with 46 ladies and 39 males, perished within the blaze.
Two survivors, a crew member and a passenger, have been rescued, however hopes for locating extra survivors are fading. The hearth has since been extinguished, however the scale of the harm has left little probability for restoration.
The aircraft was primarily carrying South Korean passengers, with two believed to be Thai nationals. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed condolences to the victims’ households, and an investigation is underway to find out whether or not any Thai nationals have been concerned.
The reason for the crash stays beneath investigation, with one main concept suggesting a fowl strike might have triggered a malfunction within the touchdown gear.
Reviews point out {that a} passenger despatched a ultimate textual content to a relative saying, “Ought to I say my final phrases?” earlier than the crash.
The South Korean authorities, together with Performing President Choi Sang-mok, has mobilised all obtainable assets for rescue efforts on the scene. The airline, Jeju Air, expressed deep remorse and promised to cooperate absolutely with the continued investigation.
This tragedy marks the primary deadly accident within the historical past of Jeju Air, a serious low-cost service in South Korea, which had beforehand averted any main incidents.