At least 29 killed in S Korea as plane crashes at Muan airport: Reports | News

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The crash occurred as the Jeju Air plane was landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea.

A passenger plane has veered off the runway and crashed at an airport in the South Korean city of Muan, killing at least 29 people, according to the Yonhap and AFP news agencies.

The accident took place on Sunday as the Jeju Air plane was landing at Muan International Airport, Yonhap reported.

It was carrying 175 passengers and six flight attendants and was flying back from Thailand.

“We have so far confirmed 29 deaths from the crash,” Lee Hyeon-ji, a response team officer at the local fire department, told AFP.

“But the tally could rise due to the critically injured,” she said.

One photo shared by local media showed thick clouds of black smoke coming out of the plane. Another showed the tail section of the jet engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.

Lee said rescue authorities were evacuating passengers from the rear section of the jet.

At least two people have been found alive so far, Yonhap reported, adding that the rescue mission is continuing.

South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok meanwhile ordered “all-out-efforts for rescue operations” at Muan.

“All related agencies… must mobilise all available resources to save the personnel,” he told officials in a statement.

The crash is believed to have been caused by “contact with birds, resulting in malfunctioning landing gear” as the plane attempted to land at the airport in the country’s southwest, Yonhap reported.