A passenger plane in South Korea crashed into the wall of Moan International Airport after skidding off the runway due to the landing gear not opening. There were 181 people on board, including 6 crew members, on the Boeing 737-800 plane. Two crew members were rescued in the accident, while the remaining 179 people are feared dead. Authorities confirmed 124 deaths.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, authorities said that all those on board the plane, except for the two crew members who survived the accident, are believed to have died.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Transport, the accident occurred after 9 am local time when Jeju Air flight 7C2216 was landing at an airport in the south of the country with 181 people, including 6 crew members, from the Thai capital Bangkok.
A video of the plane’s crash has emerged, in which the plane can be seen hitting the airport wall after skidding on the runway and turning into a ball of fire. It can be seen in the video that the plane’s landing gear was not open at the time of landing.
Moan Chief Fire Officer Lee Jung-yeon told a briefing that two crew members, including a woman, have been rescued from the wreckage of the rear of the plane, while the fire has been brought under control.
Fire brigade officials say that apart from the two women who were rescued in the accident, all the missing people are believed to be dead and they are searching for the bodies. The firefighting agency has confirmed 124 deaths in the accident so far.
A firefighting agency official said that the passengers woke up after the plane hit the wall, and the chances of the passengers surviving are very low.
The official said that the plane is almost completely destroyed and it is difficult to identify the dead, we are searching for the remains, which will take time.
According to the Ministry of Transportation, the passengers include two Thai citizens, while the rest are from South Korea.
A spokesman for Jeju Airlines said that the plane was a Boeing 737-800 jet, details of the accident, including the number of deaths and the causes of the accident, are being determined, all domestic and international flights at Moan Airport have been canceled.
