The 179 passengers including crew members lost their lives...
A South Korean plane crashed on Sunday, the Transport Ministry official stated in a press release on Monday. The pilot of Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 told air traffic control that the aircraft had suffered a bird strike and declared Mayday shortly before the plane crashed in the morning.
In an emergency meeting on Sunday, South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok declared a national mourning period until January 4 following the deadly plane crash at Muan International Airport that killed 179. All on board except two crew members are feared dead as a plane carrying 181 passengers and six crew on a flight from Bangkok to South Korea’s Muan International Airport crashed and burst into flames early Sunday. Expressing his condolences, Choi in a post said, “The government would like to offer its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and will do its best to recover from this accident and prevent a recurrence.” The crash site has been declared as a special disaster zone.
A Jeju Air flight which was landing shortly after 9 am local time at the airport veered off the runway and erupted into a fireball as it slammed into a wall at the airport. In videos shared by local news agencies, the twin-engine aircraft is seen skidding down the runway with no apparent landing gear before slamming into a wall in an explosion.
According to the transportation ministry the 175 passengers included two Thai nationals, and the rest are believed to be South Koreans. The plane was a Boeing 737-800 jet operated by Jeju Air.
The airlines is seeking details of the accident, including its casualties and cause, an airline spokesperson said. South Korean acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered all-out rescue efforts, according to his office.
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