At least 124 people have died after a plane skidded off the runway and crashed into a fence this Sunday after landing at Muan International Airport, in the South Korean province of South Jeolla (southeast), although the rest are believed to have died. of people on board would also have died.
The fire service has put the confirmed deaths at 122, although a total of 179 people are believed to have lost their lives, with the exception of two people rescued, since the authorities pointed out that the majority are “presumably dead.”
The accident occurred around 9:07 (00:07 GMT), when Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which had departed from Bangkok airport in Thailand on the morning of that day, was trying to land at Muan airport and crashed into the fence.
The authorities have confirmed that a total of 181 people were traveling on it, including six crew members, 173 Korean passengers and two Thai passengers and the fire service has managed to rescue two people, a crew member and a passenger, according to the latest data.
Police and firefighters are investigating the exact cause of the crash, which they believe was caused by a failure to deploy the plane’s landing gear, possibly caused by a bird strike.
He was trying to make a forced landing
Airport authorities said the plane was attempting a forced landing due to a landing gear malfunction when the crash occurred, after its first landing attempt failed.
However, the plane would not have been able to reduce speed until it reached the end of the runway, which caused the crash and the ship to start burning. Witnesses in the area indicated that some tires had not activated.
In the images, shared by Yonhap, the aircraft is seen severely damaged, with the tail severed and on fire.
The first report about the ship accident occurred shortly after 9:00 (00:00 GMT), however, the first response from the authorities did not arrive until 9:46 (00:46), when 80 personnel from the rescue headquarters and the Fire Aviation Unit were mobilized.
A total of 180 personnel, including military personnel, firefighters and ambulances, are in the area.
The country’s interim president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered that all possible efforts be made in rescue operations after the accident and the Police have also mobilized units.
All domestic and international flights to and from Muan International Airport were canceled following the accident.
Source: www.eldiario.es
