South Korea plane carrying 181 passengers crashes – all but two feared dead
179 people are presumed dead after a plane crashed while landing at an airport in South Korea.
A Boeing 737-800 flight, operated by airline Jeju Air, had been carrying 181 passengers on board.
Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 had been landing at Muan Airport from Bangkok, Thailand at 9am local time, before footage shared online appears to show it coming off the runway and crashing into a wall, before bursting into flames.
The two survivors are members of the flight crew, with the official death toll – expected to rise – standing at 124.
No cause has been confirmed, and rescue efforts are continuing,
More than 1,500 emergency personnel have been deployed for the rescue and recovery effort, including 490 fire employees and 455 police officers.
The latest update includes a flight recorder from the plane having been recovered.
Where did Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 crash?
The plane crashed into a fence and caught fire after skidding off a runway at Muan International Airport.
It was arriving at the airport from Bangkok, Thailand, at 9am local time.
Muan International Airport is in the Muan County, South Jeolla Province of South Korea.
How many have died?
The official death toll stands at 124 people, with two people reported to have been rescued from the wreckage and rushed to hospital.
The plane was carrying 181 passengers.
Of the 124 bodies recovered, 54 are identified as male and 57 female. An additional 13 bodies were unable to be identified as male or female.
There were two Thai nationals on board, women aged 22 and 45, in addition to 173 South Koreans.
Why did the plane crash?
It has not yet been confirmed why the plane crashed, though the fire department said a ‘bird strike’ and bad weather could be likely causes.
In a televised briefing, Lee Jeong-hyun, the chief of Muan fire department, said the tail section of the plane appeared to be intact but ‘one cannot recognise the shape of the rest of the plane’.
The exact cause is being investigated.
What model was the plane?
The plane was a Boeing 737-800 jet operated by Jeju Air.
The airline was established in 2005 and covers routes in South Korea and across cities in the Asia-Pacific regions including Japan and China.
According to the BBC, Jeju Air claims to be South Korea’s ‘number one’ low-cost airline.
What has Jeju Air’s response been?
The CEO if airline Jeju Air publicly apologised to the victims of the crash.
Kim E-Bae and other company officials stood with bowed heads, and said supporting the bereaved was their top priority.
The airline had earlier changed its website to black and published an apology.
It said: ‘We at Jeju Air lower our head in apology to everyone who were harmed in this incident at the Muan Airport.
‘We will do all we can to respond to the incident. We are sorry for the distress.’
Acting President Choi Sang-Mok declared a special disaster zone in Muan, after what is thought to be the deadliest plane crash ever in South Korea.
‘We have a grave situation where a great loss of life occurred after a plane went off the runway in Muan airport this morning,’ Choi said in a presidential office statement, via the BBC.
‘I express my deepest condolences to the many victims in the incident. I will do all I can for the injured to quickly recover.
‘I give my condolences to the victims and give my sincere regards to the bereaved families.’
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