Plane crashes in South Korea, killing at least 120

SEOUL: A passenger plane burst into flames on Sunday after skidding off a runway at a South Korean airport and slamming into a concrete fence when its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. Officials reported that at least 120 people were killed in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters.

The National Fire Agency said rescuers raced to pull people from the Jeju Air passenger plane, which was carrying 181 people at the airport in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometres south of Seoul. The Transport Ministry identified the plane as a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet and stated that the crash occurred at 9:03 am local time.

At least 120 people — 57 women, 54 men, and nine others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable — died in the fire, according to the fire agency. The death toll is expected to rise further as many of the passengers remain unaccounted for about six hours after the incident.

Emergency workers rescued two people, both crew members, who remain conscious, according to local health officials. The fire agency deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the blaze.

Footage aired by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip with its landing gear apparently still closed, before colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility. Other local TV stations aired footage showing thick black smoke billowing from the plane engulfed in flames.

Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, stated in a televised briefing that rescue workers are continuing to search for bodies scattered by the crash. The plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage.

Investigators are exploring various possibilities for the cause of the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds that caused mechanical problems. Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan said that government investigators had arrived at the site to determine the cause of the crash and fire.

Emergency officials in Muan noted that the plane’s landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned. The Transport Ministry said the plane was returning from Bangkok, and its passengers included two Thai nationals.

Thailand’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed deep condolences to the families of those affected by the accident in a post on social platform X. Paetongtarn said she had ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide immediate assistance.

Kerati Kijmanawat, the director of the Airports of Thailand, confirmed in a statement that Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport with no reports of abnormal conditions in the airspace or on the runway.

Jeju Air issued a statement expressing its “deep apology” over the crash and said it would do its “utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident.”

In a televised news conference, Jeju Air’s president, Kim E-bae, deeply bowed alongside other senior company officials as he apologised to bereaved families and took “full responsibility” for the incident. Kim noted that the company had not identified any mechanical problems with the aircraft following regular check-ups and would await the results of government investigations into the cause of the incident.

Boeing stated on X that it was in contact with Jeju Air and ready to support the company in dealing with the crash. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” Boeing said.

The incident is one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea’s aviation history. The last large-scale air disaster in South Korea was in 1997, when a Korean Air plane crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board. In 2013, an Asiana Airlines plane crash-landed in San Francisco, killing three and injuring approximately 200.

Sunday’s accident is also one of the worst landing mishaps since a July 2007 crash in Sao Paulo, where an Airbus A320 slid off a slick airstrip and collided with a nearby building, killing all 187 people on board and 12 others on the ground. In 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express aircraft overshot a runway in Mangalore, India, and plummeted into a gorge before erupting into flames.

The incident comes as South Korea is embroiled in a political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. Last Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached acting President Han Duck-soo and suspended his duties, leading Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok to take over.

Choi ordered officials to employ all available resources to rescue the passengers and crew before heading to Muan. Yoon’s office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, would preside over an emergency meeting between senior presidential staff later on Sunday to discuss the crash.

By RSS/AP