Seoul: In a fresh, saddening incident of a plane crash, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed at the Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday morning. The unfortunate incident killed 179 people out of 181 onboard after it skidded off the run due to a faulty landing gear and crashed into a wall, immediately bursting into flames. Two people rescued were in critical condition.
Visuals appeared online showing huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky, and fire engulfing parts of the plane, NDTV reported. The aircraft might have attempted a “belly landing” without its landing gear.
⚡️DRAMATIC moment South Korean plane with reported 180+ passengers becomes a fireball and crashes at airport CAUGHT on cam pic.twitter.com/VdrdavEXgT
— RT (@RT_com) December 29, 2024
According to local media, the flight carried 181 people, including six crew members. Emergency services started around 9 am, and at least 32 fire trucks and firefighters were at the site.
The flight tracking website, FlightRadar24, said that the flight, operated by Jeju Air, was travelling from Bangkok to Muan. The crash is believed to have happened after a bird-hit and malfunctioning of landing gear.