An aeroplane crash in South Korea killed at least 62 people and saved two crew members

On Sunday, an aeroplane went off the runway and exploded in flames when it collided with a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, killing at least 62 people, according to the national fire service.

The agency reported the recovery of two individuals, and an official confirmed to Reuters that they were crew members.
The disaster occurred when Jeju Air flight 7C2216, carrying 175 passengers and six staff from Thailand’s capital Bangkok, was arriving at the country’s southern airport soon after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), according to South Korea’s transport ministry.
The ministry did not confirm claims of casualties.

Another fire officer told Reuters that at least 58 bodies had been retrieved, although this was not the final count.
A Muan fire official reported finding two individuals alive and initiating rescue efforts. According to Yonhap, three persons were rescued.

Authorities were attempting to rescue those in the tail section, an airport official told Reuters soon after the disaster.
Local television footage showed the twin-engine aircraft going down the runway with no visible landing gear before crashing into a wall in an explosion of flames and debris. Other photographs showed smoke and flames devouring portions of the airliner.

According to the transportation ministry, the passengers included two Thai nationals, with the others presumed to be South Koreans.
The plane was a Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air, which was looking into the accident’s circumstances, including victims and causes, according to an airline representative.

Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately reply to calls for comment. Yonhap announced the cancellation of all domestic and international flights at Muan Airport.

South Korean acting President Choi Sang-mok, who was appointed interim head of the country on Friday after the previous acting president was impeached amid an ongoing political crisis, has ordered an all-out rescue operation, his office said.
His chief staff organised an emergency meeting.