Seoul: A Jeju Air plane carrying 122 people from Bangkok to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, colliding with a barrier and bursting into flames, with only two survivors rescued so far and 120 confirmed dead.
Two people – one crew and one passenger – were rescued from the wreckage as part of an ongoing rescue operation, the national fire agency said in a statement.
A collision with birds and adverse weather conditions were cited by the authorities as likely causes of the crash that flung passengers out of the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed”, according to fire officials.
Video showed the Boeing 737-8AS flying from Bangkok to Muan airport attempting to land but crashing and being engulfed in flames.
“Passengers were ejected from the aircraft after it collided with the barrier, leaving little chance of survival,” a local fire official told families at a briefing, according to a statement released by the fire brigade.
“The plane is almost completely destroyed, and identifying the deceased is proving difficult. The process is taking time as we locate and recover the remains,” he was quoted as saying.
“So far, two people rescued – both are flight attendants – 96 dead,” the fire department said, revising an earlier statement that said one of the survivors was a passenger.
Engulfed in flames
Officials suspect a landing gear failure, possibly due to a bird strike, may have caused the accident. They have begun an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause, the Yonhap news agency reported.
A photo showed the tail section of the jet engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.
A photo showed the tail section of the plane – a Boeing 737-8AS according to Flight Radar – engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.
“The cause of the accident is presumed to be a bird strike combined with adverse weather conditions. However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation,” Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, said during a briefing.
Lee Hyeon-ji, a response team officer at the local fire department, said rescue authorities had evacuated passengers from the rear section of the jet.
The Muan International Airport is in Muan county, which is about 288 kilometres (179 miles) southwest of Seoul.
The fire agency said it had mobilised 32 fire engines and scores of fire fighters to the scene.
The accident took place at 9:03 am (0003 GMT) on Sunday during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216, the Ministry of Land said.
“A total of 175 passengers – including two Thai nationals – and six crew members were onboard,” it said.
The initial fire was extinguished and a search and rescue operation was “under way at the crash site”, it said in a statement at around 11:00 am local time.
Low-cost carrier Jeju Air apologised and vowed to do all it could to help.
“We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident. We sincerely apologise for causing concern,” the airline said in a statement posted on its social media channels.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok called for the mobilisation of all resources to save the passengers.
“All related agencies… must mobilise all available resources to save the personnel,” he instructed officials in a statement.
Choi is convening an emergency meeting with cabinet members to discuss rescue operations and response, his office said.
A plane with 181 people on board crashed at South Korea’s Muan airport after it veered off the runway while landing.
Image Credit:
yonhapcn/X
The Korean transport ministry said it was investigating the crash. The airline and the fire department were not immediately available for comment.
The fatal crash takes place just days after a Dec. 25 crash involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane, killing dozens.
It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005.
On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Jeju Air carrying 74 passengers came off the runway due to strong winds at the southern Busan-Gimhae airport, resulting in a dozen injuries.
South Korea’s aviation industry has a solid track record for safety, experts say.
Last year, a passenger opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight as it was preparing to land, with the aircraft landing safely but several people hospitalised.
