MUAN, South Korea (Reuters) – At least 127 people died when a passenger plane veered off the runway, bursting into flames as it crashed into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, the national fire service said.
Jeju Air (089590.KS) flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital Bangkok with 181 people on board, attempted to land shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the airport in southern South Korea, the transport ministry said.
It was the worst air accident involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades and on track to become the deadliest in the country’s history, according to ministry data.
The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 could be seen in video from local media skidding down the runway without any apparent landing gear before crashing into the wall in a burst of flames and debris. Other photos show smoke and flames burning parts of the plane.
