At Least 62 Killed in Plane Crash in South Korea

At Least 62 Killed in Plane Crash in South Korea

At least 62 people died after a plane crashed Sunday while attempting to land at an airport in South Korea, according to the country's national fire agency.

Previous report

The plane skidded off the runway and collided with a fence at an airport in Muan County, located in the country's southwest, according to the fire agency. The accident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. local time. The flight, operated by South Korea's Jeju Air, had departed from Bangkok with 175 passengers and six crew members aboard.

Rescue operations continued hours after the accident occurred. Two people have been rescued. Choi Sang-mok, South Korea's acting president, said the country would use all personnel and equipment available.

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 737-800, a narrow-body jet, according to Flightradar24. It has a strong safety record and is a workhorse of commercial air travel. The 737-800 is a predecessor to the 737 MAX, which was involved in two separate fatal crashes and was grounded worldwide in 2019 for nearly two years.

Two Thai nationals were on board, with the rest of the passengers South Korean citizens, according to South Korea's Transportation Ministry. In a short statement on the company's website, Jeju Air apologized for causing concern and vowed to work toward resolving the situation.

South Korea's police imposed the highest level of the nation's emergency-alert system, allowing all available police forces to be deployed if necessary. South Korea's Defense Ministry said it had deployed medical and rescue personnel, including special forces, to provide on-site assistance. Helicopters were ready to be dispatched.

The cause was not immediately clear. The domestic news media reported that a bird strike appears to have made the plane's landing gear malfunction, forcing it to crash-land.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times

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