Authorities have confirmed that 179 people have died after a plane skidded off the runway and crashed into a fence this Sunday after landing at Muan International Airport, in the South Korean province of South Jeolla (southeast). It is one of the most serious air accidents in the last two decades in Asia.
The fire service has put the death toll at 179. There were 181 people traveling, of which two have been rescued alive, both from the crew and who were in the rear of the ship, a Boeing 737-800.
The accident occurred around 9:07 (00:07 GMT), when Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which had departed from Bangkok airport in Thailand on the morning of that day, was trying to land at Muan airport and crashed into the fence.
The Muan control tower issued a bird collision alert for the plane at 8:57 a.m. local time (23:57 GMT on Saturday), while the captain of the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, issued the “mayday” or distress signal. a minute later, according to the South Korean Ministry of Transportation. This marks the first official confirmation that the plane suffered a collision with a bird, which could have prevented the aircraft’s wheels from deploying.
Images taken with a phone by a private individual and reproduced by the MBC channel apparently show the impact of a bird with the right engine of the Jeju Air Boeing.
He was trying to make a forced landing
Airport authorities said the plane was attempting a forced landing due to a landing gear malfunction when the crash occurred, after its first landing attempt failed.
However, the plane would not have been able to reduce speed until it reached the end of the runway, which caused the crash and the ship to start burning. Witnesses in the area indicated that some tires had not activated.
The first report about the ship accident occurred shortly after 9:00 (00:00 GMT), however, the first response from the authorities did not arrive until 9:46 (00:46), when 80 personnel from the rescue headquarters and the Fire Aviation Unit were mobilized. A total of 180 personnel, including military personnel, firefighters and ambulances, are in the area.
The president took office on Friday
The country’s interim president, Choi Sang-mok, has ordered that all possible efforts be made in rescue operations after the accident and the Police have also mobilized units. Additionally, all domestic and international flights to and from Muan International Airport have been canceled and seven days of national mourning have been declared.
The accident took place just two days after Choi Sang-mok took office this Friday following the dismissal of the previous acting president, Han Duck-soo.
This Sunday is the second major accident affecting a South Korean company after the one on August 5, 1997 – a Korean Airlines Boeing 747 – crashed 5 kilometers from the airport on the island of Guam (USA), in the Pacific, causing the death of 227 people of the 254 who were on board.
Source: www.eldiario.es
