85 killed after plane with 181 on board crashes on South Korea runway

Seoul: A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Bangkok to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, authorities said, with 85 confirmed dead and dramatic video showing the aircraft bursting into flames.

Two people – one crew and one passenger – were rescued from the wreckage as part of an ongoing rescue operation, the national fire agency said in a statement.

“So far, two rescued and 85 confirmed dead,” the National Fire Agency said in a statement, with the rescue operation ongoing. Video showed the Boeing 737-8AS flying from Bangkok to Muan airport attempting to land but crashing and being engulfed in flames.
Rescue authorities were evacuating passengers from the rear section of the jet, Lee said

The Muan International Airport is in Muan county, which is about 288 kilometres (179 miles) southwest of Seoul.

The fire agency said it had mobilised 32 fire engines and scores of fire fighters to the scene.
The accident took place at 9:03 am (1203 GMT) on Sunday during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216 (Bangkok to Muan), the Ministry of Land said.

“A total of 175 passengers (including 2 Thai nationals) and 6 crew members were onboard,” it said.

The initial fire was extinguished and a search and rescue operations was “under way at the crash site”, it said in a statement at around 11am local.
Engulfed in flames
Officials suspect a landing gear failure, possibly due to a bird strike, may have caused the accident. They have begun an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause, the Yonhap news agency reported.

A photo showed the tail section of the jet engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.

Aviation tracking site FlightRadar24 said the aircraft appeared to be a Boeing 737-800.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok called for the mobilisation of all resources to save the passengers.

“All related agencies… must mobilise all available resources to save the personnel,” he instructed officials in a statement.

Choi is convening an emergency meeting with cabinet members to discuss rescue operations and response, his office said.

The Korean transport ministry said it was investigating the crash. The airline and the fire department were not immediately available for comment.

The fatal crash takes place just days after a Dec. 25 crash involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane, killing dozens.

It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005.

On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Jeju Air carrying 74 passengers came off the runway due to strong winds at the southern Busan-Gimhae airport, resulting in a dozen injuries.

South Korea’s aviation industry has a solid track record for safety, experts say.

Last year, a passenger opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight as it was preparing to land, with the aircraft landing safely but several people hospitalised.