December 29

This photo shows the site of an airplane crash at an airport in Muan, southwest South Korea, on Dec. 29, 2024. (NEWSIS via Xinhua)

SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Most of the people aboard a South Korean airplane that crashed at an airport in southwest South Korea on Sunday morning were believed to have been killed except two rescued, local fire authorities said.

The passenger plane with 175 passengers, including 173 South Koreans and two Thais, as well as six flight attendants on board, crashed while attempting to land at the Muan International Airport, some 290 km southwest of the capital Seoul, at about 9:07 a.m. local time (0007 GMT).

Chief of the Muan fire department said in a televised press briefing that most of the 181 people on board the plane were presumed to be dead except two rescued, including a 22-year-old male and a 25-year-old female crew member, noting that there was little chance of survival as passengers were thrown out of the fuselage after colliding with an outer wall.

A total of 85 people were confirmed dead, with two rescued at 12:50 p.m. local time (0350 GMT). Rescue operations were underway to determine additional casualties.

The Jeju Air flight 7C2216 from Bangkok, Thailand skidded off the runway and crashed into the outer wall of the runway, with its fuselage broken in half and catching fire.

According to the fire authorities, it would take time to recover and identify the bodies as the fuselage was severely destroyed.

TV footage showed a big plume of black smoke billowing out of the Boeing 737-800 engulfed by flames. Another footage showed an engine on the right wing emitting smoke with flames before attempting to land.

The fire authorities estimated that the accident may have been caused by a bird strike that led to landing gear failure.

Source: XinhuaEditor: huaxia2024-12-29 13:12:15