CNN
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At least 47 people were killed when a passenger plane crashed at an airport in southwestern South Korea, local firefighters told CNN.
Two people were rescued from the accident site.
Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members when disaster struck Muan County Airport shortly after 9 a.m. local time Sunday (7 p.m. ET Saturday). The crash was caused by a landing gear malfunction, authorities said.
The video shows firefighters using water cannons to put out the burning wreckage of the plane, which was listed as a Boeing 737-800 on the flight tracking site FlightAware. Several parts of the plane were also seen scattered on the runway and on a dirt embankment.
A fire official who spoke to CNN said the plane was “almost completely destroyed” by fire.
Two Thai nationals were on board, according to South Korea's Land Ministry.
Officers from South Korea's Incident Investigation Committee arrived at the scene at 10:10 a.m. (8:10 p.m. EST Saturday) and are investigating the cause of the accident, according to the Land Ministry.
South Korea's acting president, Choi Sang-mok, asked emergency services to mobilize “all available equipment and personnel” to respond to the accident, according to the Ministry of Defense press release. Interior and Security.
The tragedy comes just two days into Choi's interim presidency, the latest chapter in a period of political chaos in South Korea.
The country's current president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was removed from power by Parliament two weeks ago following a brief martial law decree that plunged the country into political disarray. He is currently suspended until a high court decides his fate.
Han Duck-soo, the man who replaced Yoon as interim president, was impeached by Parliament on Friday, meaning Choi – the finance minister and deputy prime minister – replaced him.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
