A plane crashed while landing at Muan Airport in South Korea, the South Korean agency Yonhap reported . There were 175 passengers and six crew members on board the plane, which was flying from Thailand to South Korea. According to preliminary information, only two people survived, the rest died in the crash. The death of 85 people has been officially confirmed.
According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, the Jeju Air plane was flying from Bangkok when it skidded off the runway and crashed into a fence while landing at Muan Airport, located 288 kilometers from Seoul in the southwest of the country.
Footage shown on South Korean television showed a massive fire immediately after the collision, with the plane engulfed in flames and splitting into two pieces.
Fire services immediately launched a rescue operation. Initially, 28 people were reported dead, but within hours that number had risen to 62. The National Fire Service later said that almost everyone on board had died. Officially, 85 people have been confirmed dead.
Among the survivors are two people: a passenger and a crew member. According to Reuters, they were in the tail section of the plane. Their condition is not yet known, both are in hospital.
Of the passengers, 173 were South Korean citizens, and two were Thai citizens.
The cause of the crash remains unknown. According to preliminary versions, a possible cause could have been a collision with birds, which caused the landing gear control system to fail. Another version considered is adverse weather conditions.
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Cover: Photo – Yonhap News