A plane with 181 people on board crashed and caught fire on Sunday while landing in South Korea. The crash left at least 29 dead according to an initial report. Help is always…
A terrible tragedy occurred this Sunday morning in South Korea. A plane carrying 181 people crashed and caught fire while trying to land at Muan airport in the southwest of the country. According to an initial report communicated by the authorities, the crash caused at least 29 victims. A figure unfortunately set to rise given the large number of serious injuries.
A landing that turns into a nightmare
The flight, operated by the low-cost airline Jeju Air, connected Bangkok to Muan. It was carrying 175 passengers, including two Thai nationals, as well as 6 crew members. Everything seemed to be going normally until the fateful moment of landing at 9:03 a.m. local time. That's where the nightmare began.
According to chilling video images broadcast by local media, the plane, a Boeing 737, can be seen landing with smoke escaping from the engines. Moments later, the plane was completely engulfed in flames. A scene of horror for the helpless witnesses on the ground.
Birds involved?
If the exact circumstances of the tragedy remain to be determined, a source close to the investigation mentions a possible “contact with birds”, which would have led to a malfunction of the landing gear. The plane then landed on its belly before hitting a fence at the end of the runway and burst into flames. A hypothesis which will have to be confirmed by future investigations.
Race against time to save lives
Immediately after the crash, a real race against time began to try to save as many lives as possible. Dozens of firefighters and emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene to work around the burning wreckage of the aircraft. Equipped with stretchers, the rescuers carried out the evacuation of the bodies of the victims, wrapped in blue shrouds.
Despite their prompt intervention, the human toll is already expected to be very heavy. According to a fire official cited by AFP, at least 29 people lost their lives in the accident. But this figure could rise further given the number of injured in critical condition. A few miracles were nevertheless able to be extracted alive from the wreckage, including two people saved at the last minute by emergency services.
The authorities are mobilizing
Faced with the scale of the disaster, the highest authorities in the country immediately mobilized. Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok called an emergency meeting, urging all relevant government agencies to deploy “all available resources” to rescue victims. An investigation was also opened to determine the exact causes of the tragedy.
First fatal crash for Jeju Air
If air accidents remain extremely rare in South Korea, it is a hard blow for the company Jeju Air. Founded in 2005, it had until now been spared any fatal crashes. Its only notable incident dates back to 2007, when one of its aircraft went off the runway in strong winds, causing only minor injuries. A record out of all proportion to the massacre of this Black Sunday.
While emergency services continue their operations at the disaster site, an entire country is in mourning. The next few days will be decisive in establishing the final assessment of this deadly crash, understanding what happened and assisting the families of the numerous victims. Crucial answers to try to overcome this new aerial drama.
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