News Update
South Korea’s national fire agency says 179 people have been confirmed dead after a plane caught fire following a failed landing at Muan airport in the country’s south, on Sunday.
The plane, Jeju Air, which had malfunctioning landing gear veered off the runway, hit a fence, before going up in flames at the airport.
The Jeju Air jetliner was carrying 175 passengers and six crew when it crashed on landing at the airport in Muan county.
The ill-fated plane was returning from Bangkok in Thailand when the incident occurred.
AP News quoted South Korean media as reporting that the fire left over 28 people either dead or injured, while two people were evacuated to safety.
Headquarters said that the number is expected to grow as recovery operations continue.
The office said the fire was put out and rescue officials were trying to remove passengers from the aircraft.
However, a fire department official who spoke to CNN said the airplane had been “almost completely destroyed” by fire.