December 29, (THEWILL) – At least 100 people were killed when an airliner veered off the runway and erupted into a fireball as it slammed into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, the national fire agency said, adding that two crew members were rescued.
The crash occurred as Jeju Air flight 7C2216, carrying 175 passengers and six crew on a flight from the Thai capital, Bangkok, was landing shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the airport in the south of the country, South Korea’s transport ministry said.
Although the ministry did not confirm the reports of casualties, at least 58 bodies have been recovered. Two people were found alive and rescue operations are underway, a Muan fire official said. Yonhap news agency said three people had been rescued.
An airport official added that authorities are working to rescue people in the tail section.
Local media shared a video showing the twin-engine aircraft 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.
Yonhap cited airport authorities saying the landing gear may have malfunctioned due to a bird strike.
A passenger texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing, News1 reported. The person’s final message was, “Should I say my last words?”
Bird strike is among several theories that have not been verified, an official from the transport ministry’s aviation department said, adding that the investigation was ongoing.
The passengers included two Thai nationals and the rest are believed to be South Koreans, according to the transportation ministry.
The plane was a Boeing 737-800 jet operated by Jeju Air, which was seeking details of the accident, including its casualties and cause, an airline spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, all domestic and international flights at Muan Airport have been suspended.
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