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 aircraft bursting 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.
Video shared by the local MBC broadcaster showed the Jeju Air plane — a according to Flight Radar — landing at the Muan airport runway, with smoke streaming out from the engines, before the entire aircraft is quickly engulfed in flames.
A rescue team prepares to work at Muan International Airport. Source: AP / Play Dae-hwan
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 local time (1203 GMT) on Sunday during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216 (Bangkok to Muan), the Ministry of Land said.
“A total of 175 passengers (including 2 Thai nationals) and six crew members were onboard,” it said.
The initial fire was extinguished and a search and rescue operations was “under way at the crash site”, it said in a statement at around 11am local time.
What caused the Jeju Air crash?
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.
“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.
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 passenger rescued from a plane crash at Muan International Airport is transported to a nearby hospital. Source: EPA / Yonhap
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.
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 12 August 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, as it was preparing to land, with the aircraft landing safely but several people hospitalised.
