A Jeju Air passenger plane with 181 persons aboard burst into flames on the ground early Sunday morning in South Korea.
The incident occurred in Muan, which lies about 290 kilometers from Seoul, the country’s capital city.
According to BBC, the Transport Ministry has identified the plane as a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet returning from Bangkok in Thailand, with two Thai nationals on board.
About 167 persons have so far been confirmed dead, with the death toll expected to rise, officials said.
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The plane had skid off the runway before ramming into a concrete fence when its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy.
Rescue workers are still searching for bodies strewn across the airport as thick, black smoke billows from the wreckage.
Chief of Muan fire station, Lee Jeong-hyeon, said the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted witnesses as saying they saw sparks and heard an explosion before the crash.
Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was staying near to the airport, tells Yonhap he saw a spark on the right wing shortly before the crash.
Kim Yong-cheol, 70, said the plane failed to land initially and circled back to try again.
Yong-cheol said he saw “black smoke billowing into the sky” after hearing a “loud explosion”.
“I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light,” another witness named Cho added.
“Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions.”
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