At the very least 151 folks have been killed when a passenger airplane caught fireplace after skidding off a runway and slamming right into a concrete fence at a South Korean airport.
Two crew members had been rescued after the accident that occurred on Sunday at 9:03am native time (00:03 GMT).
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated the airplane – a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet – was getting back from Bangkok and its passengers included two Thai nationals.
The Nationwide Hearth Company stated rescuers raced to drag folks out of the Jeju Air airplane carrying 181 passengers on the airport within the city of Muan, about 290km (180 miles) south of Seoul.
The hearth company deployed 32 fireplace vans and a number of other helicopters to comprise the fireplace, it stated.
At the very least 151 folks — 71 ladies, 71 males and 9 others whose genders weren’t instantly identifiable – died within the fireplace, the fireplace company stated.
The loss of life toll is anticipated to rise additional as the remainder of the passengers on board the airplane stay lacking about six hours after the incident – making it one of many worst airline disasters to hit South Korea.
Footage of the crash aired by YTN tv confirmed the Jeju Air airplane skidding throughout the airstrip, apparently with its touchdown gear nonetheless closed, and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the airport.
Different native TV stations aired footage exhibiting thick pillars of black smoke from the airplane engulfed in flames.
Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fireplace station, informed a televised briefing that rescue employees are persevering with to seek for our bodies scattered by the crash influence.
The airplane was destroyed, with solely the tail meeting remaining recognizable among the many wreckage, he stated.
Staff had been wanting into numerous prospects about what induced the crash, together with whether or not the plane was struck by birds that induced mechanical issues, Lee stated.
Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan individually informed reporters that authorities investigators arrived on the web site to analyze the reason for the crash and fireplace.
