At least 28 people have been killed after a plane carrying 181 people crashed off the runway and hit a wall at a South Korean airport.
Ghostly footage taken at the scene shows a huge plume of smoke as firefighters try to tackle the blaze.
The Jeju Air flight was returning from Bangkok as the horrors unfolded at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday.
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VIDEO: Footage shows the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216
Most passengers were ‘Koreans’
The accident happened at 9:07 a.m. when the Jeju Air plane veered off the runway during landing and collided with a fence at the Musan International Airport in Muan province, about 178 miles (288 kilometers) southwest of Seoul.
A total of 181 people, including six crew members, were on board the plane returning from Bangkok.
Most of the passengers were Koreans, except for two Thai nationals.
Authorities extinguished the initial fire and said search and rescue operations were underway at the crash site.
They also began an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash.
All the resources necessary to “save lives,” the president says
Acting President Choi Sang-mok called for the mobilization of all resources to rescue the passengers.
“All agencies involved… must mobilize all available resources to rescue the personnel,” he instructed officials in a statement.
Crash caused by ‘contact with birds’
The crash is believed to have been caused by “contact with birds, resulting in landing gear failure” as the plane tried to land at the airport in the southwestern part of the country, Yonhap news agency reported.
There were 175 passengers and six crew members on board, the report said.
A photo showed the tail section of the plane engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.
Authorities confirm 29 deaths
Lee Hyeon-ji, a response team officer at the local fire department, confirmed the number of deaths caused by the crash.
She told media: “We have confirmed 29 deaths as a result of the crash so far.
“But the number may rise due to the serious injuries.”
Rescue authorities were evacuating passengers from the rear of the plane, Lee added.
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Footage has emerged of the moment the plane tries to land – and there appears to be a problem with the landing gear.
The plane appears to be gliding down the runway, but it fails to slow down. It then crashes into the wall at the end of the runway and erupts in a ball of flames.
Emergency services then rush to the scene.
South Korea plane crash: what we know so far
At least 28 passengers have been killed in a plane crash at an airport in South Korea, according to local media.
Passengers are rescued from the tail of the plane after it went off the runway at Muan Airport.
The plane was believed to have 181 people on board, including six crew members, when it attempted to land.
Important updates
VIDEO: Footage shows the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216
Most passengers were ‘Koreans’
Crash caused by ‘contact with birds’
Authorities confirm 29 deaths
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