A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Bangkok to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, authorities said, with 85 confirmed dead and dramatic video showing the plane burst into flames.
Two people were rescued from the wreckage as part of an ongoing rescue operation, the National Fire Agency said in a statement.
“So far, two rescued and 85 dead,” the agency said.
A video shared by local channel MBC showed the Jeju Air plane — a according to Flight Radar – landing on the runway at Muan Airport, with smoke coming from the engines, before the entire plane was quickly engulfed in flames.
A rescue team prepares to work at Muan International Airport. Source: PA / Playing Dae-hwan
Muan International Airport is in Muan County, approximately 288 kilometers (179 miles) southwest of Seoul.
Firefighters said they had mobilized 32 fire trucks and numerous firefighters to the scene.
The accident occurred at 9:03 a.m. local time (12:03 GMT) on Sunday during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216 (Bangkok to Muan), the Land Ministry said.
“A total of 175 passengers (including 2 Thai nationals) and six crew members were on board,” the statement said.
The initial fire was extinguished and search and rescue operations were “underway at the accident site,” the statement said around 11 a.m. local time.
What caused the Jeju Air crash?
Authorities suspect that a landing gear failure, possibly due to a bird strike, may have caused the accident. They launched an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause, Yonhap news agency reported.
“The cause of the accident is believed to be a bird strike combined with unfavorable weather conditions. However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation,” Lee Jeong-hyun, head of the Muan Fire Station, said at a press briefing.
One photo showed the plane's tail engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.
A passenger rescued from a plane crash at Muan International Airport is taken to a nearby hospital. Source: EPA / Yonhap
called for the mobilization of all resources to save the passengers.
“All relevant agencies…must mobilize all available resources to rescue personnel,” he asked officials in a statement.
Choi is calling an emergency meeting with cabinet members to discuss the rescue operations and the response, his office said.
It was the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of South Korea's largest low-cost airlines, established in 2005.
On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Jeju Air carrying 74 passengers went off the runway due to strong winds at Busan-Gimhae South Airport, leaving a dozen injured.
South Korea's aviation industry has a strong safety record, experts say.
Last year, while preparing to land, the plane landed safely but several people were hospitalized.
