At least 47 people were killed when a passenger jet crash-landed at an airport in southwestern South Korea, the local fire department told CNN.
Two people were rescued from the crash site.
Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok was carrying 175 passengers and six crew when disaster struck at the airport in Muan County, just after 9 a.m. local time Sunday (7 p.m. ET Saturday). The accident was caused by a landing gear malfunction, officials said.
Video showed firefighters using water cannons to extinguish the blazing wreckage of the aircraft, which was listed as a Boeing 737-800 on flight-tracking site FlightAware. Several parts of the aircraft were also seen strewn across the runway and an earthen embankment.
A fire department official who spoke to CNN said the airplane had been “almost completely destroyed” by fire.
Two Thai nationals were among those on board, according to the South Korean Land Ministry.
Officers from the South Korea’s Incident Investigation Committee arrived on site at 10:10 a.m. (8.10 p.m. EST Saturday) and are looking into the cause of the accident, according to the land ministry.
All flights to Muan International Airport have been cancelled, according to the Korea Airports Corporation.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, has instructed emergency responders to mobilize “all available” equipment and personnel to respond to the crash, according to the press release by the interior and safety ministry.
The tragedy comes only two days into Choi’s acting presidency, the latest chapter in a time of political chaos in South Korea.
The country’s current president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was stripped of his powers by parliament two weeks ago following a short-lived martial law order that plunged the country into political disarray. He is currently suspended while a top court decides his fate.
Han Duck-soo, the man who stepped in to replace Yoon as acting president, was impeached by parliament on Friday, meaning Choi – the finance minister and deputy prime minister – stepped in for him.
