At least 62 are dead after a plane carrying 181 people crashed off a runway and smashed into a wall at a South Korean airport.
At least 62 are dead after a plane carrying 181 people crashed off a runway and smashed into a wall at a South Korean airport.
The Jeju Air flight was returning from Bangkok when the horror unfolded at Muan International Airport in South Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Horror footage showed the moment the aircraft slid along the runway, before ploughing into concrete and erupting into a ball of flames.
Authorities have now confirmed at least 62 have been killed but say this number likely to rise, with the majority being found in the tail of the plane.
They added just three survivors have been pulled from the wreckage so far – including one flight attendant and one passenger.
Most of the passengers are Korean, except for two Thai nationals.
‘So far two rescued, 62 dead,’ the national fire agency said in a statement, adding that 37 women had died and 25 men.
Lee Hyeon-ji, a response team officer at the local fire department, said the death toll would likely continue to rise ‘due to the critically injured’.
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A plane carrying 181 people has crashed into a wall at at Muan International Airport in South Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday
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Pictures taken from the scene shows a huge plume of smoke as firefighters tackle the blaze
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The country’s emergency office says the 175 passengers were on board when the plane slammed into the wall
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Haunting snaps taken from the scene shows a huge plume of smoke as scores firefighters with 32 trucks were tackling the blaze.
The horror crash is believed to have been caused by ‘contact with birds, resulting in malfunctioning landing gear’ as the plane attempted to land at the airport in the country’s southwest.
The flight had reportedly attempted one landing before being forced to turn around and tried to land again when the landing gear failed to lower normally.
Footage has emerged of the moment the plane attempts to land – and appears to have an issue with its landing gear.
The aircraft appears to slide along the runway, but it fails to slow down.
It then slams into the wall at the end of the runway and erupts into a ball of flames.
Frantic emergency services then rush to the scene.
According to Flightradar data, the plane was a Boeing 737-800 departed from Bangkok t 2.29am local time and was due to arrive at 8.30 but landed at 8.59am.
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Haunting footage shows the plane sliding along the runway when its landing gear seemingly failed
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Pictures from the scene show the tail of the aircraft surrounded by debris with smoke coming out of it as firefighters tackle the blaze
