Fiery crash kills at least 167 in worst airline disaster in South Korea - World - DAWN.COM
At least 167 people were killed when an airliner belly-landed and veered off the runway, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, the national fire agency said.
Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital Bangkok with 181 people on board, was attempting to land shortly after 9am (5am PST) at the airport in the south of the country, South Korea’s transport ministry said.
It is the worst air accident involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades and on track to become the country’s deadliest ever, according to ministry data.
The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 can be seen in video from local media skidding down the runway with no apparent landing gear before slamming into a wall in an explosion of flame and debris. Other photos showed smoke and fire engulfing parts of the plane.
Two crew members, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane, Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told a briefing. The fire was extinguished as of 1pm, Lee said.
