A aircraft carrying 181 passengers has crashed at an airport in South Korea, killing at the least 62 folks, the nation’s hearth service has mentioned.
The plane got here off the runway and crashed right into a wall at Muan Worldwide Airport within the south west of the nation, the Yonhap information company reported.
The Jeju Air aircraft, which was carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew members, was getting back from Bangkok in Thailand and crashed because it was touchdown.
Two folks have been discovered alive to this point and rescue operations have been nonetheless below method, a fireplace official instructed the Reuters information company.
Emergency companies have been making an attempt to rescue folks within the tail part of the plane, an airport official mentioned.
The passengers on board the flight included 173 South Koreans and two Thais, Yonhap reported.
The reason for the crash continues to be not recognized, however native media reported it could have been attributable to birds getting caught within the aircraft’s programs.
In line with the Nationwide Fireplace Company, the 62 folks killed included 37 ladies and 25 males.
Unverified footage uploaded to social media of the crash – which occurred shortly after 09:00 native time (00:00 GMT) – reveals the plane skidding off the runway and crashing right into a wall, earlier than a part of it bursts into flames.
Different footage reveals a big plume of black smoke rising into the sky.
One flight attendant and one passenger have been rescued to this point, South Korea’s hearth company mentioned in an announcement, including that 80 firefighters and greater than 30 hearth vans had been deployed to the crash website.
Muan is about 178 miles (288 km) south of the capital, Seoul.
South Korea’s aviation trade is taken into account to have a stable monitor report for security.
This crash is the primary deadly accident within the historical past of Jeju Air, considered one of South Korea’s largest low-cost airways, which was arrange in 2005.