DISASTER

179 Presumed Dead as Passenger Jet Crash-Lands in South Korea

A Boeing 737-800 burst into flames, cartwheeled off the runway and hit a wall.

A Jeju Airline jet crash-landed at Muan International Airport in South Korea at 9 a.m. local time on Sunday (7 p.m. Saturday ET).

Flight 2216, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, careened off the runway, rolled over, hit a wall and burst into flames at the airport in southwest South Korea. The flight had originated in Bangkok, Thailand.

Officials initially suspected the disaster was caused by a failure of the plane’s landing gear.

South Korea’s National Fire Authority said that all but two of the 181 people on board are presumed to have perished. The two survivors—a man and a woman said to be flight crew—were pulled from the wreckage and rushed to hospital.

Firefighters used water cannons to douse the raging flames.

According to CNN, the airline leadership said in a statement on its website, “Jeju Air will make every effort for this accident. We apologize for causing concerns.” Jeju Air is Korea’s most popular low budget airline, flying to dozens of destinations around Asia.

The crash comes amid weeks of acute political chaos in South Korea. On Friday, acting President Han Duck-soo was impeached. The latest acting president, Choi Sang-mok, was reportedly on his way to visit the crash site.

“We have a grave situation where a great loss of life occurred after a plane went off the runway in Muan airport this morning,” Choi said, according to presidential office statement.

“I express my deepest condolences to the many victims in the incident. I will do all I can for the injured to quickly recover. I give my condolences to the victims and give my sincere regards to the bereaved families.”

This is a developing story.

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David Thompson

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