From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 29, 2024
All but two feared dead after South Korea plane crashes with 181 aboard
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two feared dead.
A bird strike and adverse weather conditions were cited by authorities as likely causes of the crash that flung passengers out of the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed,” according to fire officials.
Video showed the Jeju Air plane from Bangkok landing on its belly at Muan International Airport, skidding off the runway as smoke streamed out from the engines, before crashing into a wall and exploding in flames.
“Passengers were ejected from the aircraft after it collided with the wall, leaving little chance of survival,” a local fire official tells families at a briefing, according to a statement released by the fire brigade.
“The plane is almost completely destroyed, and identifying the deceased is proving difficult. The process is taking time as we locate and recover the remains,” he is quoted as saying.
Only two people were rescued, both flight attendants, and 120 people were confirmed dead by mid-afternoon, the fire department says in a statement.
https://twitter.com/AlexInAir/status/1873176582480912728
The Times of Israel Community.