Finance
On Sunday, a passenger jet carrying 181 passengers exploded in flames after missing the runway and colliding with a wall at an airport in South Korea’s southern county of Muan, presumably killing all but two individuals, according to police.
The accident occurred at 9:07 a.m., when a Jeju Air jet went off the runway while landing and collided with a fence wall at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, approximately 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
Except for the two persons who were rescued in the accident, all of the missing people are considered dead, according to firefighting authorities, who are transitioning to search operations to recover bodies, Yonhap news agency said.
According to authorities, 85 people have died as a result of the tragedy.
One passenger and one crew member, both women, were rescued shortly after the accident and are being treated at a Mokpo hospital.
The jet returning from Bangkok had a total of 181 people, including six staff members.
The majority of the passengers were Korean, with the exception of two Thais.
Local television stations aired videos of the plane attempting to land without its landing gear deployed. The plane skidded over the ground, slammed into a concrete wall before exploding and engulfing in flames.
The explosion almost entirely destroyed the plane.
South Jeolla authorities issued high-level emergency notifications and mobilized all available rescue and police personnel to the accident location.
Officials suspect the tragedy was caused by landing gear failure, possibly as a result of a bird strike. They conducted an on-site investigation to discover the actual cause.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok arrived at the accident scene at midday and directed officials to make all-out efforts for search operations. Choi also extended his sympathies to the bereaved family members and offered to provide them with all available government help.
The presidential office announced it will hold an emergency meeting of senior officials at 11:30 a.m. to discuss the government’s response to the jet disaster. The meeting would be presided over by Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk.
Acting National Police Agency Commissioner-General Lee Ho-young also urged officials to mobilize all available resources and collaborate with firefighters and other related agencies to help with the rescue efforts.
Source: IANS
