GRAPHIC FOOTAGE – At Least 120 People De*d After Passenger Plane Bursts Into Flames In Crash Landing

A commercial aircraft carrying 181 people burst into flames after skidding off the runway in South Korea, killing at least 120 people.

The Jeju Air flight slammed into a concrete fence after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy, the Associated Press noted.

The tragedy occurred at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, roughly 180 miles south of Seoul.

“The Transport Ministry identified the plane as a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet and said the crash happened at 9:03 a.m. local time,” the Associated Press noted.

Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 was flying from Bangkok.

WARNING – GRAPHIC FOOTAGE:

BREAKING: Video shows crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in South Korea. 181 people on board pic.twitter.com/9rQUC0Yxt8

— BNO News (@BNONews) December 29, 2024

From the Associated Press:

At least 120 people — 57 women, 54 men and nine others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable — died in the fire, the fire agency said. The death toll is expected to rise further as the rest of the people aboard the plane remain missing about six hours after the incident.

ADVERTISEMENT

Emergency workers pulled out two people, both crew members, to safety, and local health officials said they remain conscious. The fire agency deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the fire, it said.

Footage of the crash aired by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip, apparently with its landing gear still closed, and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility. Other local TV stations aired footage showing thick pillows of black smoke billowing from the plane engulfed with flames.

Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that rescue workers are continuing to search for bodies scattered by the crash impact. The plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognizable among the wreckage, he said.

Workers were looking into various possibilities about what caused the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds that caused mechanical problems, Lee said. Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan separately told reporters that government investigators arrived at the site to investigate the cause of the crash and fire.

“Emergency workers rescued two people, both crew members who were conscious and alert,” Fox News noted.

“Two Passengers have been rescued from the burning wreckage of the aircraft (HL8088) after Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 plane carrying 181 people crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea. The accident occurred today at 9.03am local time as the Jeju Air flight 7C2216, was landing at Muan International Airport in the southwest of the country,” FL360aero wrote.

“South Korean Officials estimate that most if not all of the remaining 179 Souls aboard Jeju Air Flight 2216, were likely killed in the Crash when the aircraft veered off the runway and erupted into a fireball as it crashed into a wall at the Airport premises on Sunday,” it added.

Two Passengers have been rescued from the burning wreckage of the aircraft (HL8088) after Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 plane carrying 181 people crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea.

The accident occurred today at 9.03am local time as the Jeju Air flight 7C2216, was… pic.twitter.com/a6pN6RLEly

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) December 29, 2024

– Muan, South Korea – A Jeju Air passenger plane veered off the runway and crashed into a fence during landing at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province on Sunday morning, according to police and firefighters.

The flight, which had originated from Bangkok,… pic.twitter.com/IMCrIWqFVl

— The Informant (@theinformant_x) December 29, 2024

Per CNN:

The US aviation giant has had a turbulent time in recent years, including two 737 Max crashes, a tragedy for which the company agreed to plead guilty to deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration during the certification process for the plane.

However, analysts have described the Boeing 737-800 as a reliable workhorse of the skies with an extremely strong safety record.

Jeju Air’s chief executive said the aircraft had shown “no signs of issues” prior to Sunday’s accident.

“At this time, it is difficult to determine the cause of the accident, and we have to wait for the official announcement of the investigation by the relevant government agency,” Kim Yi-bae said during a press briefing at the airport.

Sunday’s crash is “very perplexing” given that both the aircraft and carrier have a strong safety record and flying conditions were excellent, an aviation journalist said.

The Boeing 737-800 is one of the most widely used aircraft in the world and each one is used for about four or five flights per day, Geoffrey Thomas, editor of Airline News, told CNN’s Paula Newton.

“It is the most reliable aircraft in the world, and it’s been in service for 20 years,” he said. “Everybody knows how it works. And it works really, really well. And the maintenance done in [South] Korea is as good as it gets around the world.”

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.