International Desk:
All but two passengers on board a plane that crashed in South Korea are feared dead. 124 people have been confirmed dead so far after the accident, and two have been rescued alive. AFP reports.
The accident occurred at 9:07 am local time while landing at Muan International Airport in the southwest of the country. The plane skidded off the airport runway and crashed into a side wall. There were a total of 175 passengers and six crew on board at the time.
Among the passengers, 173 were South Koreans and two were Thai citizens. A fire official told Reuters that two people had been rescued alive after the accident. However, the rescue operation is still underway. The plane was returning from the Thai capital Bangkok. It crashed while landing on the runway.
Yonhap reported that one passenger and one flight attendant have been rescued alive so far and rescue operations are ongoing. An airport official told Reuters that rescuers were trying to rescue passengers from the back of the plane.
The medium-sized airport opened in 2007 and serves several Asian destinations. It is not yet known why the plane crashed or skidded off the runway.
The landing gear may have been disabled by birds, Yonhap reported. The South Korean fire department said in a statement that at least 80 firefighters, including 32 fire engines, were currently at the scene. The airline, Jeju, expressed its regret over the accident in a statement.
“We apologize to all those affected by the accident at Muan Airport. We will do everything we can to help. We are sorry for this incident. This is the first accident in the history of the airline. It is South Korea’s largest but low-cost airline. The country’s fire department believes that the accident may have been caused by bird strikes and bad weather. However, the actual cause is under investigation, said fire service chief Lee Jeong-hoon.
Meanwhile, all domestic and international flights at South Korea’s Muan International Airport have been canceled following the horrific accident. The airport’s website shows that almost all flights have been canceled.
TTN
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