South Korea: 179 feared dead in plane crash

 Sunday 29 December 2024

Islamabad (UrduPoint News Today / Pakistan Point News - DW Urdu - 29th December 2024) Authorities in South Korea say that 179 people are feared dead in a passenger plane crash today, Sunday, December 29th. According to officials from the National Fire Agency, the accident occurred at the airport in the city of Moan, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of the capital Seoul, when a passenger plane of a private airline Jeju Air skidded off the runway and crashed into a concrete fence, engulfing it in flames.

The National Fire Agency has so far confirmed the death toll in the crash at 124. Of these, 54 men and 57 women have been identified. The process of identifying 13 more bodies is underway.

South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok has declared a special disaster zone at the crash site in Moan.

"We are facing a serious situation where a plane skidded off the runway at Muan Airport this morning, causing widespread casualties," Choi said in a statement released by the president's office.

The agency said 1,562 rescue workers were at the scene, including 490 firefighters and 455 police officers.

The plane was carrying 181 passengers, including two Thais and six crew members. Two crew members were found alive during rescue operations, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. The Ministry of Transport said the crash occurred at 9:03 a.m. local time.

The Jeju Air plane was reportedly returning from Bangkok, Thailand, when it crashed while landing.

All domestic and international flights from Muan International Airport have been canceled following the crash.

Jeju Air said the plane that crashed was a Boeing 737-800. Boeing has expressed regret over the accident and said that it is in contact with the South Korean company Jeju Air after the accident.

According to the Yonhap report, the cause of the accident is still unclear, but it is feared that a bird may have hit the plane, which caused a malfunction in the landing gear and caused the accident.

It should be noted that on Wednesday, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 passengers.