At least 96 dead after South Korean jet crash-lands at airport

[ad_1] Scores of individuals have been killed on Sunday when a passenger jet crash-landed at an airport in southwestern South Korea, with the plane careening down the runway on its stomach earlier than bursting into flames.

Not less than 96 individuals have been confirmed lifeless thus far, in accordance with the native fireplace division. Two individuals, each crew members, have been pulled alive from the crash web site nevertheless rescuers have warned there may be little hope of discovering additional survivors.

Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok was carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew when catastrophe struck on the airport in Muan county, simply after 9 a.m. native time Sunday (7 p.m. ET Saturday). The accident was brought on by a touchdown gear malfunction, officers stated.

Footage of Sunday’s crash broadcast by a number of South Korean information retailers confirmed the aircraft sliding on its stomach at excessive velocity, hitting an earthen embankment and erupting in a fireball.

Neither the again nor entrance touchdown gear was seen within the footage – broadcast by networks together with YTN, JTBC and MBC – as smoke poured from the again of the sliding plane.

Firefighters have been later seen utilizing water cannons to extinguish the blazing wreckage of the plane, which was listed as a Boeing 737-800 on flight-tracking web site FlightAware. A number of elements of the plane have been additionally seen strewn throughout the runway.

<img alt="Firefighters and rescue team members work on the runway of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Lee Young-ju/Newsis via AP) - Lee Young-ju/Newsis/AP" loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/YWo.h6WhVP9nd2bYAZJtvg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/869c9619124ce6a234f1ee76d2018290"/> Firefighters and rescue crew members work on the runway of Muan Worldwide Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Lee Younger-ju/Newsis by way of AP) - Lee Younger-ju/Newsis/AP

The victims embrace 47 males, 48 females, and one little one whose gender couldn't be decided, in accordance with the South Jeolla Hearth Service. Each of the survivors have been crew members, one male and one feminine, in accordance with the rescue crew.

Two Thai nationals have been amongst these on board, in accordance with the South Korean Land Ministry, which stated officers from the nationwide Incident Investigation Committee had arrived to look into what induced the accident.

Rescue staff will seek for the “black field” flight knowledge recorders after recovering the our bodies of the remaining victims, the Transport Ministry stated in a briefing. The recorders provide aviation security investigators essential info when piecing collectively what occurred after an incident.

Greater than 700 personnel from the police, navy, and coast guard have been mobilized for on-site response efforts, the ministry added.

All flights to Muan Worldwide Airport have been cancelled, the Korea Airports Company stated.

South Korea’s performing president, Choi Sang-mok, arrived on the crash sit within the early afternoon. Choi had earlier instructed emergency responders to mobilize “all out there” tools and personnel to reply to the crash, in accordance with a press launch by the inside and security ministry.

The tragedy comes solely two days into Choi’s performing presidency, the most recent chapter in a time of political chaos in South Korea.

The nation’s present president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was stripped of his powers by parliament two weeks in the past following a short-lived martial regulation order that plunged the nation into political disarray. He's at present suspended whereas a prime courtroom decides his destiny.

Han Duck-soo, the person who stepped in to interchange Yoon as performing president, was impeached by parliament on Friday, which means Choi – the finance minister and deputy prime minister – stepped in for him.

Sunday’s crash is “very perplexing” provided that each the plane and service have a robust security file and flying situations have been glorious, an aviation journalist stated.

The Boeing 737-800 is likely one of the most generally used plane on the planet and every one is used for about 4 or 5 flights per day, Geoffrey Thomas, editor of Airline Information, informed CNN’s Paula Newton.

“It's the most dependable plane on the planet, and it’s been in service for 20 years,” he stated. “Everyone is aware of the way it works. And it really works actually, very well. And the upkeep carried out in [South] Korea is nearly as good because it will get world wide.”

South Korean fireplace officers have stated there could have been a touchdown gear malfunction and pictures confirmed the plane sliding on its stomach.

“It’s a little bit bit unclear whether or not or not the undercarriage collapsed on touchdown or whether or not the undercarriage was not deployed in any respect. This can be a actually critical difficulty that clearly investigators will likely be very a lot centered on,” Thomas stated.