Plane With 181 People, Catches Fire During Landing At South Korea Airport

By Fnf correspondent | PUBLISHED: 29, Dec 2024, 15:57 pm IST | UPDATED: 29, Dec 2024, 15:57 pm IST

A plane carrying 181 people crashed at South Korea's Muan Airport after veering off the runway during landing, as per Reuters report. The death toll is expected to rise to 179 as only two people have been rescued so far. The crash occurred in South Jeolla province as Jeju Air flight 2216 was returning from Thailand. A total of 120 passengers have been declared dead do far, reported AP.

As per Reuters the rescuers are trying to evacuate passengers from the Boeing 737-800's rear section.

Of the total 181 on board, 175 were passengers and six were crew members. The incident happened at 9:07 am after the aircraft collided with a fence during a failed belly landing and burst into flames. The aircraft was attmpting to land at Musan International Airport in Muan County, 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul.

The initial reports mention ‘contact with birds, resulting in malfunctioning of landing gear’ as the cause of the tragedy.

Several footages of the accident have surfaces in media showing thick black smoke rising from the crash site.

Local reports confirmed that most passengers on board were Korean, with two Thai nationals among them. Rescue operations are still underway.

Emergency workers rescued two individuals, one passenger and one crew member, from the crash site. Authorities deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to control the blaze.

Footage aired by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip with its landing gear seemingly retracted, before crashing into a concrete wall at the edge of the airport.