Home World 179 passengers and crew presumed dead, with two rescued
World

179 passengers and crew presumed dead, with two rescued

Share
Firefighters and rescue teams work in the aftermath of the crash. Photo: AP/Ahn Young-joon
Share

Fire authorities say that among the 181 people aboard the Jeju Air flight from Bangkok, all but two are presumed dead after the aircraft crashed during an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday morning, according to Yonhap News.

Rescue teams continue to search the wreckage where more bodies remain inside the fuselage. Two survivors, one passenger and one crew member, were pulled from the tail section and are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

The Boeing 737-800 attempted a belly landing at around 9:03am local time after its landing gear reportedly failed to deploy.

Witnesses reported hearing loud “bang” noises before the aircraft struck the airport’s perimeter wall, breaking into two pieces and bursting into flames. Local broadcaster MBC aired footage that appears to show a bird strike incident as the plane was descending. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

If the death toll is confirmed, this would be South Korea’s worst domestic civil aviation disaster and marks the first major casualty incident involving a low-cost carrier in the country’s history, reports the JoongAng Ilbo.

Previous major accidents on Korean soil include the 1993 Asiana Airlines crash in Mokpo that killed 68 people, and a 2002 Air China crash near Gimhae Airport that killed 129 of 166 passengers.

(The Guardian)

Share

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles
World

At least 800 killed as 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocks Afghanistan

Officials said hundreds of other people were injured in the quake, which...

World

Yemen’s Houthis confirm death of prime minister and other officials in Israeli strike

The Iran-backed Houthis on Saturday confirmed that an Israeli airstrike killed the...

World

India and China are partners, not rivals, Modi and Xi say

India and China are development partners, not rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi...

World

US court rules many of Trump’s global tariffs are illegal

A US appeals court has ruled that most tariffs issued by US...