At least 120 people died this Sunday after a plane skidded off the runway and crashed into a fence after landing at Muan International Airport, in the South Korean province of South Jeolla, 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul, according to reports. a spokesman for the national fire agency quoted by the Yonhap agency.
At least two people – both crew members – have been rescued alive and taken to two hospitals in the area, while rescue teams continue to search for survivors. However, Lee Jeong-hyeon, a fire department official in charge of the operation, was skeptical that more people could be found alive due to the poor condition of the plane. The search focuses on the rear part of the plane, which has been less damaged and where the two crew members have been rescued.
The accident occurred just after 9:00 a.m. local time when the Jeju Air plane, which was carrying 181 people — 175 passengers and six crew members — on a flight from , the capital of Thailand, was landing at the airport in the south of the country. . The Thai foreign minister has said that at least two of the plane’s occupants were from that country.
Video shows the twin-engine plane, a Boeing 737-800, sliding down the runway without landing gear before crashing into a wall in an explosion of flames and debris. In other photos you can see smoke and fire engulfing parts of the plane. According to local media, the fire lasted 40 minutes until it could be controlled by firefighters.
Unidentified airport sources told the South Korean Yonhap agency that the plane was supposed to have landed at 8:30 a.m. at Muan International Airport, but had to abort its first attempt due to problems with the landing gear apparently caused by the impact with a bird.
The South Korean interim president, Choi Sang-mok, who took office last Friday in the middle of the , has moved to the accident site. Shortly after the news broke, he asked to direct all necessary efforts to rescue efforts, according to his office, while his chief of staff called an emergency meeting.
The South Korean airline Jeju Air has published an apology for the accident. “We bow our heads in apology to everyone who has suffered with the accident. “We will do everything possible to resolve the situation,” it reads. For its part, the Boeing company has said it is in contact with the airline and has offered its condolences to the families of the victims.
