Jeju Air, a low-cost airline in South Korea, was carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew members
A Jeju Air flight skidded off a runway in South Korea and collided with a concrete fence, killing at least 177 people, the Associated Press reported, citing the country’s National Fire Agency (NFA).
Yonhap News Agency reports that malfunctioning landing gear caused the devastating crash that is one of the worst in the country’s history.
Firefighters carry out extinguishing operations on an aircraft which drove off runaway at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, on Dec. 29.
Firefighters carry out extinguishing operations on an aircraft which drove off runaway at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, on Dec. 29. (Yonhap via Reuters)
m=A screengrab from video footage captured near Muan International Airport shows black smoke billowing into the air from the airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, on Dec. 29.
Jeju Air, a budget airline in South Korea, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members in the Boeing 737-800 when the incident occurred on Sunday morning local time at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, roughly 180 miles south of Seoul.
Jeju Air, a budget airline in South Korea, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members in the Boeing 737-800 when the incident occurred on Sunday morning local time at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, roughly 180 miles south of Seoul.
At least 177 people — 84 women, 82 men and 11 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable — died in the fire, the fire agency said.
According to the NFA, emergency workers rescued two people, both crew members who were conscious. Three people remained missing about nine hours after the incident.
The plane landed at 9:07 a.m. local time at the airport when the incident happened.
It exploded right before impact after its front landing gear failed to deploy, slammed the passenger plane into a concrete fence on the runway for Associated Press, according to Tuesday reports. The plane is reportedly flying back to South Korea from Thailand, while local media has shared smoke billowing out of it.
A senior Transport Ministry official said that the flight data recorder from the plane’s black box was retrieved and that crews were still searching for the cockpit voice recording device, the AP reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
