Witnesses to a deadly plane crash in South Korea on Sunday said they saw flames from the plane’s engine and heard explosions, according to a report.
A jeju air flight The plane skidded off the runway at Muan International Airport in the city of Muan, about 190 miles south of Seoul, and crashed into a concrete fence, killing at least 176 people, the Associated Press reported, citing the country’s National Fire Agency (NFA). Died.
According to Yonhap news agency, officials are investigating a possible landing gear failure caused by a bird strike, which may have caused the crash.
The video shows the plane attempting to land without deploying its landing gear.
Plane crashes after skidding off airport runway in South Korea, at least 176 dead: Report
Firefighters work to extinguish a runaway plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea on December 29, 2024. (Via Yonhap Reuters)
There were 181 people on board the plane when the collision occurred around 9:03 a.m. local time. Emergency personnel evacuated two crew members, who health officials say are conscious and not in life-threatening conditions, while three people remain missing.
South Korea’s transport ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet returning from Bangkok, Thailand.
“We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding Flight 2216 and stand ready to support them,” Boeing said in a statement. “We express our deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.”
One witness, Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was staying in a rental house near the airport, said he saw a spark on the right wing of the plane before the incident, according to Yonhap news agency.
“I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion,” Yu said.
Firefighters work to extinguish a runaway plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea on December 29, 2024. (Via Yonhap Reuters)
Another witness, identified only by his last name Cho, told the outlet that he was walking 4.5 kilometers, or about 2.8 miles, from the airport when the plane hit the concrete wall at the end of the runway.
“I saw the plane landing and thought it was about to land and then I saw a flash of light,” Cho said. “Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air and then I heard a series of explosions.”
Kim Yong-cheol, 70, said the plane was unable to land on its initial attempt and had to circle back to try again before the crash occurred.
Kim said he heard “metal scraping” twice about five minutes before the crash. He also said he looked up to the sky and saw the plane climbing up after failing to land, before he heard a “loud explosion” and saw “black smoke billowing into the sky”.
Survivors of Kazakhstan plane crash say they heard explosions before plane went down; Putin issued statement
This screen grab of video footage captured near Muan International Airport shows black smoke billowing into the air from the airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, December 29, 2024. (Via Yonhap Reuters)
Click here to get the Fox News app
A 50-year-old witness, identified only by his last name Jang, was fishing nearby when he said he saw a flock of birds hit the plane, resulting in a fire in the right engine.
“As the plane was landing on the runway, it collided with a flock of birds coming from the opposite direction,” he said. “I heard two or three bangs as if birds had been sucked into the engine, before I saw flames coming out of the right engine.”
Thailand’s airports director Kerati Kijamanawat said in a statement that the plane departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport and there were no reports of unusual conditions with the plane or on the runway.
Jeju Air said in a statement that it “deeply regrets” the accident and that it would “make every effort to manage the aftermath of the accident.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
