The accident occurred shortly after 9am local time, when the plane landed at Muan International Airport.
At least 176 people have died after a plane crashed while landing at an airport in South Korea. Two survivors were pulled from the wreckage and taken to hospital.
The Boeing 737-800 flight – operated by Jeju Air – had 181 passengers on board, including 175 passengers and six crew members, and was arriving at Muan Airport from Bangkok, Thailand.
The victims’ families are gathering at the airport as authorities continue to search for the wreckage.
Online images appear to show the plane skidding off the runway and crashing into a wall, before bursting into flames.
No cause has been confirmed, but firefighters believe a bird strike and bad weather could be to blame.
More than 1,500 emergency personnel were sent to the scene and the National Fire Agency has imposed a special disaster zone, which it said in a statement will do its best to save people and recover from the disaster. accident until the end.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok, who became the country’s leader on Friday, instructed his government to use all available equipment and personnel to rescue as many people as possible from the Jeju Air crash site.
“We have a serious situation where there was a huge loss of life after a plane went off the runway at Muan Airport,” he said.
“I express my deepest condolences to the many victims of the accident. I will do everything possible to ensure that the injured recover quickly.”
Sparks and explosions
Witnesses who spoke to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said they saw sparks and heard an explosion before the crash.
Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was near the airport, told Yonhap that he saw a spark on the right wing shortly before the crash.
Kim Yong-cheol, 70, told the agency that the plane initially failed to land and he turned around to try again.
Kim says he saw “black smoke rising into the sky” after hearing a “loud explosion.”
“I saw the plane descend and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light,” adds another witness named Cho. “Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions.”
The pilot had held the role since 2019 and had more than 9 thousand flight hours
A South Korean transport official provided details about what happened to the plane as it approached the airport.
The plane was attempting to land, but air traffic control issued a bird strike warning, forcing the plane to wait, according to the official.
About two minutes later, the pilot called for help and air traffic command gave permission for the plane to land in the opposite direction.
The pilot agreed: Video shows the plane landing without wheels or other landing gear and sliding down the runway before crashing into a wall, causing a violent explosion.
The Department of Transportation notes that the lead pilot had been in that role since 2019 and had more than 9,800 hours of flight experience.
Source: Terra
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