South Korean plane crash kills 179; only 2 survivors

[ad_1] Up to date Dec. 29, 2024, 08:31 a.m. ET.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – A aircraft carrying 181 folks crashed in a ball of flames because it was trying to land in South Korea on Sunday, killing all however two of these on board in one of many nation’s worst ever air disasters.

Witnesses stated they heard explosions and noticed flames in an engine of the Jeju Air flight because it was attempting to land at about 9:07 a.m. within the metropolis of Muan, and authorities have been investigating the chance that its touchdown gear failed after a chook strike, the Yonhap Information Company reported.

Video footage broadcast by TV stations confirmed the Boeing 737-800 aircraft coming onto a runway with out deploying its touchdown gear. It skidded throughout the bottom, hit a concrete wall, and exploded in a fireball.

“The aircraft physique was nearly destroyed, and the lifeless are troublesome to determine. It's taking time to determine the placement of the stays and get well them,” the Jeollanam-do Fireplace Division stated.

The official dying toll climbed by way of the day to 179, the AP information company reported, as our bodies have been recovered from a smoldering crash website the place some 1,500 rescue staff sifted by way of the wreckage.

Two crew members survived, and have been pulled from the damaged off rear part of the plane, the BBC reported. They have been in hospital.

The lifeless included 85 ladies, 84 males and 10 whose genders couldn't be instantly decided, the AP reported.

A “black field” flight knowledge recorder had been recovered, the BBC reported.

Firefighters attempt to put out a fireplace on an plane which skidded off the runway at Muan Worldwide Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, Dec. 29, 2024. (Yonhap through Reuters) The aircraft was arriving in Muan, 288 kilometers (179 miles) southwest of the capital, Seoul, from Bangkok with 175 passengers and 6 crew on board.

Most of these on board the have been South Koreans, except two Thai nationals who have been among the many lifeless, the Thai international ministry stated.

Jeju Air chief Kim E-bae made a public apology and prolonged condolences to the relations who misplaced their family members, vowing to offer all mandatory help to the victims' households.

“Whatever the trigger, I take full accountability,” Kim stated.

Rescue staff participate in a salvage operation on the website of a aircraft crash at Muan Worldwide Airport, in Muan, South Korea, Dec. 29, 2024. (Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters) South Korea’s performing president, Choi Sang-mok visited the crash website and instructed officers to make all-out efforts of their search, and expressing deep condolences to the bereaved. He promised all doable authorities help.

Choi has been serving as performing president since Friday, after the Nationwide Meeting voted to question Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was suspended lower than two weeks after assuming the position from President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14.