Jeju Air plane crashes in South Korea, 120 casualties

Dhaka: A Boeing 737 of Jeju Air swerved off the runway and hit a wall at South Korea's Muan International Airport, killing at least 120 people on December 29.

Flight 7C-2216 departed from Thailand’s Bangkok with 175 passengers and six crew members. After flying for 4.5 hours, the flight was landing at South Korea's Muan International Airport when the crash took place, according to reports.

According to firefighters, all people onboard, except for two rescued, are presumed dead.

The crash was believed to have been caused by "bird strikes, which led to malfunctioning of the landing gear" during the landing attempt, added reports.

However, South Korea's Transport Ministry said, the control tower at Muan Airport had sent a warning of a bird strike to the plane before the crash occured.

Authorities are now suspecting that there was a landing gear failure that caused the crash and are looking into whether a bird strike is responsible.

Footage shared by local media showed the twin-engine jet skidding down the runway without landing gear before colliding with a wall, triggering an explosion of flames and debris. Other images revealed smoke and fire consuming parts of the plane.

Acting President Choi Sung-mok, who assumed the role on December 27 amid a political crisis, directed rescue efforts. "All related agencies must mobilize every resource to save lives," reports cited his office saying.

Reports further cited a spokesperson for Jeju Air stating that the airline is investigating the incident.

It may be mentioned here, Jeju Air is a South Korean low-cost airline based in Jeju City on Jeju Island. It focuses on providing affordable air travel both within South Korea and to various international destinations across Asia.