Yonhap News in South Korea is carrying this terrifying image of the plane wreckage (Image: South Korea news)
A plane carrying 175 passengers has tragically crashed into a wall at Muan International Airport in South Korea, bursting into flames and killing at least 28 people so far.
The aircraft, which also had six flight attendants on board, is seen in horrifying footage veering off the runway before smashing into the wall. It comes after another aeroplane tragedy this Christmas has shocked the world.
According to Yonhap news agency, 28 casualties have already been confirmed and three have been pulled from the wreckage alive while fire crews are desperately battling to save more. The crash occurred during landing, after the plane’s landing gear malfunctioned and footage shows it skidding along the runway with no wheels on the ground.
Shocking footage shows the moment it skids on the runway and crashes into the fence after seeming to have an issue with its landing gear:
The aircraft that had flown from Bangkok, Thailand with 173 South Korean and two Thai nationals on board.
Desperate firefighters raced to the scene and are currently battling huge flames and mangled sections of the plane in a bid to save 23 people trapped in the tail section.
According to Flightradar data, the plane was a Boeing 737 that departed from Bangkok at 2.29am local time and was due to arrive in South Korea at 8.30am – but instead had landed at 8.59am.
The ill-fated flight, Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, had flown from Bangkok with a total of 181 people on board. Following the crash, the plane exploded, sustaining severe damage and catching fire, as reported by Naver News.
The plane explodes into flames in a screengrab from the shocking footage (Image: Twitter)
Yonhap reports at least 28 passengers are confirmed killed and the plane has exploded following the crash, sustaining heavy damage and catching fire.
The South Korean National Fire Agency said that the aircraft is believed to have experienced issue with landing gear due to bird strike at the airport some 288 miles away from Seoul.
A terrifying image being carried on Yonhap shows a plane smashes to pieces and in flames at the side of the airport runway – see above.
It is reported that so far three passengers have been rescued from the rear of the aircraft.
The plane is seen skidding off into the wall, unable to stop (Image: Twitter)
The South Korean Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Ministry is investigating the crash. The National Fire Agency said that the aircraft is believed to have experienced an issue with a landing gear due to a bird strike.
In horrifying video from the crash in Jeollanam-do, the southernmost province in mainland Korea, the plane is seen skidding on the runway before hitting a wall and exploding in a fireball.
Jeju Air is a budget airline from South Korea running routes across Asia.
This is the second time the company has suffered a crash, with a smaller passenger plane overshooting a runway in 2007 in South Korea. That time there were no fatalities with only four people suffering minor injuries.
The plane hits the wall (Image: Twitter)
Worrying photos from the scene show a huge plume of black smoke rising into the air and an inferno raging.
Acting President Choi has ordered the mobilisation of all available manpower and equipment for the rescue effort. An investigation is underway.
Emergency services received the call at 9am local time and authorities are now working to rescue people trapped in the tail section.
Acting President Choi Sung-mok, who was only named interim leader of South Kprea on Friday after his predecessor was impeached, has ordered an all-out rescue effort.
Another image shows the fireball erupting (Image: South Korea TV)
Smoke rises from the crash site (Image: South Korea TV)
Authorities were conducting an investigation on the site to determine the exact cause of the crash and rescue operations were also under way, the officials said.
It is thought the accident happened after the plane caught fire when its landing gear malfunctioned.
It comes after Vladimir Putin has apologised to Azerbaijan’s president after the downing of a commercial airline over Russia that left 38 dead.
The Kremlin said the « tragic incident » on Wednesday occurred as air defense systems were firing near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, in response to a Ukrainian drone strike.
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