179 presumed dead, 2 rescued after plane veers off runway, explodes in South Korea

The tragic passenger plane crash and explosion at Muan Airport in South Korea has left 179 out of 181 people presumed dead. The disaster, which marks one of the deadliest air accidents in South Korean history, has shocked the nation and the world.

The Jeju Air flight, carrying 181 passengers and crew, crashed shortly after attempting to land at the airport, located around 290 kilometers south of Seoul. Footage from the scene showed the plane skidding across the runway with its landing gear apparently still retracted. The aircraft then slammed into a concrete barrier, erupting into flames upon impact.

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Emergency responders raced to the scene, deploying fire trucks and helicopters in an attempt to rescue survivors. Despite their efforts, only two crew members were pulled from the wreckage alive, both severely injured. The authorities have officially confirmed that 174 people were killed in the fire, and the remains of the plane were largely destroyed.

Initial investigations

South Korea’s transport ministry has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. Preliminary reports suggest a potential malfunction of the plane’s landing gear, which may have prevented the aircraft from landing properly. Authorities are also considering whether a bird strike could have contributed to the mechanical failure.

The flight, which had originated from Bangkok, included passengers from multiple countries, including two Thai nationals. The crash site remains under investigation as officials try to piece together what went wrong in the moments leading up to the disaster.

This devastating accident marks one of the worst aviation tragedies in South Korea’s history. The country has not seen such a large-scale disaster since 1997, when a Korean Airlines flight crashed in Guam, killing 228 people.

With Agency inputs