A Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crashed after attempting a landing at Muan airport, with 179 of the 181 passengers and crew presumed dead by authorities<\/p>\n
A Jeju Air flight from Bangkok carrying 181 passengers and crew has crashed while attempting a landing at Muan international airport<\/strong> in south-western South Korea on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n All but two of the people onboard Flight 7C2216 are presumed dead<\/strong>, according to local fire authorities. Two people were pulled from the tail section and are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital. Among the 175 passengers aboard the flight, 173 were Korean nationals and two were Thai nationals, officials have said.<\/p>\n The Boeing 737-800 attempted a belly landing at about 9.03am local time after its landing gear reportedly failed to deploy.<\/strong> The aircraft was seen skidding along the runway before hitting the airport\u2019s perimeter wall, breaking into two pieces at the front and tail sections and bursting into flames.<\/p>\n Witnesses reported hearing loud \u201cbang\u201d noises before the aircraft struck the wall.<\/strong> Local broadcaster MBC aired footage that appears to show a bird strike incident as the plane was descending. Officials have also said weather conditions may have played a role.<\/p>\n If the death toll is confirmed, it would be South Korea\u2019s worst domestic civil aviation disaster<\/strong> and marks the first major casualty incident involving a low-cost carrier in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, has arrived at the scene approximately 300km south-west of Seoul<\/strong> and has ordered \u201call available equipment and personnel to be mobilised\u201d for the rescue operations at the airport. \u2018\u201cNo words of consolation will be enough for the families who have suffered such a tragedy,\u201d he said at the scene.<\/p>\n