At least 120 dead and dozens missing in South Korea plane crash
Key points
- At least 120 killed in plane crash at South Korea airportTwo rescued from wreckage of plane which was carrying 181Dozens missing and feared deadPossible bird strike and weather conditions being considered as causes of crash
06:16:25 Control tower sent warning before crash
The plane was sent a warning about a bird strike from the control tower before the fatal crash at Muan International Airport, according to South Korea’s transport ministry.
There are reports a bird strike is one of the potential causes being considered by officials.
A passenger reportedly texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing of the plane before the crash, according to the News1 agency.
Their final message was said to have been: “Should I say my last words?”
05:57:19 Number of dead rises to 120
The number of dead has risen to 120 people, according to the South Korean fire agency.
With only two people rescued so far, there are fears the number of dead will only continue to rise.
05:48:51 Jeju Air chief executive apologises
Speaking on South Korean television, the chief executive of Jeju Air has apologised to victims of the plane crash.
Kim E-bae added that the precise cause of the incident was still unclear but they were cooperating with the government in its investigations.
Their top priority now was supporting the bereaved, the airline said.
05:40:02 Only two rescued from wreckage of plane
Only two people have been rescued so far from the wreckage.
Two crew members, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane according to local fire chief Lee Jeong-hyeon.
They are being treated in hospital with medium to severe injuries, the head of a local public health centre said.
Mr Lee said the fire had been extinguished by 1pm local time (4am UK time).
“Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of (the plane) looks almost impossible to recognise,” he added.
Authorities have switched from a rescue to a recovery operation because of the force of the impact and are searching nearby for bodies thrown from the plane, the fire chief added.
05:35:24 What do we know about the South Korea flight?
Jeju Air flight 7C2216, a Boeing 737-800 jet, was on its way back from Bangkok, Thailand, at the time of the crash.
Local media reports that on board were 173 South Koreans and two Thai people – as well as six crew members.
It had followed a flight path northeast, over Taiwan, according to tracking data from Flight Radar.
At 9.03am local time (shortly after midnight in the UK) the plane crashed at Muan International Airport in the south of the country.
It had already made one attempt at crash landing, local media reported, but that had been aborted.
Video seemingly showing the fatal crash shows the plane sliding off the runway without its landing gear deployed.
South Korea’s transport ministry said the plane was manufactured in 2009.
Jeju Air apologised for the incident in a statement but said the plane had no previous records of accidents.
In a statement, Boeing said:”We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and stand ready to support them.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew.”
05:08:09 Pictured: Emergency teams begin rescue and salvage operation 05:04:23 ‘Should I say my last words?’
Authorities are investigating the cause of one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea’s aviation history.
A bird strike is one of the potential causes being considered by officials who are also looking at the weather conditions at the time of the crash.
The News1 agency reported that a passenger texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing of the plane.
Their final message was said to have been: “Should I say my last words?”
05:00:10 Dozens killed as plane crashes at South Korea airport
A plane crash in South Korea has killed at least 96 people.
Around midnight UK time (9am local time in South Korea) a Jeju Air plane made an abortive attempt to crash land at Muan International Airport.
On a second attempt, the plane, carrying 181 people, veered off the runway and crashed into a wall at the airport.
Footage broadcast on South Korean television shows the plane, without its landing gear deployed, travelling at speed before crashing.
In the hours since authorities have confirmed that at least 96 people have died.
Only two people have been rescued amid fears that the number of dead will continue to rise further.
Authorities are looking into whether a collision with a bird may have caused the malfunction to stop the landing gear operating normally, or if weather conditions played a role.