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179 Dead After Plane Catches Fire Off South Korea Runway
Officials confirmed that a passenger plane at a South Korean airport killed all but two of the 181 people on board when it went off a runway, crashed into a concrete fence, and caught fire after its front landing gear reportedly failed to deploy.
Approximately 180 miles (290 km) south of Seoul, near the airport in the town of Muan, rescuers hurried to remove passengers from the Jeju Air passenger plane, according to the National Fire Agency. The 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 aircraft was returning from Bangkok when the incident occurred, according to the Transport Ministry, and it occurred at 9.03 a.m. local time.
The fire department reported that 179 people perished, including 84 men, 85 women, and 10 others whose genders could not be immediately determined.
Local health officials said that both crew members who were taken to safety by emergency personnel are still conscious. The fire department used multiple aircraft and thirty-two fire engines to put out the fire. It further stated that over 1,560 military, police officers, firefighters, and other officials were dispatched to the location.
A concrete wall on the boundaries of the complex was struck by the Jeju Air plane as it skidded across the airfield, presumably with its landing gear still closed, according to footage of the disaster that was broadcast on YTN television.
The plane was enveloped in flames, and more local TV stations showed pictures of heavy plumes of black smoke rising from the aircraft. During a televised briefing, Lee Jeong-hyeon, the head of the Muan fire station, stated that the plane was completely destroyed and that the only identifiable part of it was the tail assembly.
He said investigators are investigating a number of potential causes for the disaster, including whether birds hit the plane. Officials from the transport ministry later stated that their preliminary analysis of communication logs indicates the airport control tower notified the aircraft of a bird strike just prior to the planned landing and authorised the pilot to land in a different location.
May their soul rest in peace, Amen.