All 181 People Aboard Crashed S. Korean Airplane Believed Killed

SEOUL: All the 181 people aboard a South Korean airplane that crashed on Sunday at the country’s southwestern airport were believed to have been killed except two rescued, multiple media outlets said citing the fire authorities.

The accident happened shortly after 09:00 local time – 00:00 GMT – when the plane landed at Muan International Airport.

Footage appearing to show the crash, which has not yet been verified, shows the aircraft skidding off the runway and crashing into a wall, before part of it bursts into flames.

The aircraft came off the runway and crashed into a wall at Muan International Airport in the south west of the country, the Yonhap news agency reported

The Jeju Air plane, which was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, was returning from Bangkok in Thailand and crashed as it was landing at just after 09:00 local time

Two people were been found alive so far and rescue operations were still under way, a fire official told the Reuters news agency

Yonhap reported that the passengers on board the flight included 173 South Koreans and two Thais. Those confirmed dead include 37 women and 25 men

The cause of the crash is still not known, but local media report it may have been caused by birds getting caught in the plane’s systems

The airline Jeju Air has just issued an apology.

“We at Jeju Air lower our head in apology to everyone who were harmed in this incident at the Muan Airport,” says the statement, which has been translated into English.

“We will do all we can to respond to the incident. We are sorry for the distress.”

The cause of the crash is still not known, but local media reported it may have been caused by birds getting caught in the plane’s system.

This crash is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost airlines, which was set up in 2005.

By Agencies