• Source:JND
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South Korea Plane Crash: As many as 179 out of the 181 on board were feared to have been killed after Jeju Air flight veered off the runway and hit the fence while landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday. The incident occurred when flight 7C2216 returning from Thailand’s Bangkok crash-landed at Muan Airport, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members. The incident took place at 9:07 am (local time) at the southwestern coastal airport, a key regional hub in South Korea’s South Jeolla Province.

South Korea's National Fire Agency said that it deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the fire. The passengers included two Thai nationals and the rest are believed to be South Koreans, according to the country's transportation ministry. All flight operations at Muan International Airport have been suspended after the incident. 

Jeju Air CEO Apologises For Plane Crash In South Korea

The CEO of South Korean airline Jeju Air apologised to the victims of Sunday's plane crash that has killed at least 85 people. In a short media briefing, CEO Kim E-bae said that supporting the bereaved was a top priority for now.

Video shared by local media showed the twin-engine aircraft skidding down the runway with no apparent landing gear before slamming into a wall and erupting into a fireball. It then shows black smoke billowing into the air from the airport in Muan, with firefighters carrying out extinguishing operations.

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What Caused Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 To Crash?

-South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing authorities, reported that a malfunction of the landing gear is likely behind the cause of the crash. Airport authorities said that the flight was attempting a crash landing due to a malfunction in its landing gear when the crash occurred. Its first landing attempt had failed earlier.

-They added that the plane, however, appeared to have failed to reduce its speed until it reached the end of the runway and crashed into the wall at the outer edge of the airport, erupting into a fireball.

-Local fire chief, however, said that a bird strike and adverse weather was likely the cause behind the fatal crash.

-"The cause of the accident is presumed to be a bird strike combined with adverse weather conditions. However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation," Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, said during a briefing, according to Reuters. However, an official statement on the cause of the plane crash is awaited.

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The incident comes days after an Azerbaijan Airline plane crashed near Kazakhstan's Aktau last week, killing 38 of the 67 people on board and leaving all others injured.