WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
A South Korean plane crashed during an emergency landing at Muan Airport on Sunday morning. South Korean authorities said 179 of the 181 passengers on board were presumed dead.
Two survivors, two crew members, were pulled from the tail section and are being treated at a nearby hospital, Yonhap News reported. Rescue teams are continuing to search the wreckage of the plane, as not all the bodies of the passengers have yet been found.
The Boeing 737-800 attempted to land on its belly at around 9:03 a.m. local time after its landing gear reportedly failed to open.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang before the plane hit the airport wall, broke in two and caught fire. Local television channel MBC aired footage that appeared to show a bird strike as the plane was landing. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
If the death toll is confirmed, it would be South Korea’s worst domestic civil aviation accident and the first major fatality involving a low-cost carrier in the country’s history, the JoongAng Ilbo reported.
Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok declared Muan a special disaster zone. This makes central government funding available to local authorities and victims.
“We have a serious situation where there has been a large loss of life after a plane skidded off the runway at Muan Airport this morning. I express my deepest condolences to the many victims of the incident. I will do my best to ensure a speedy recovery for the injured,” the president said.
Previous major accidents on Korean soil include the 1993 Asiana Airlines crash in Mokpo that killed 68 people and the 2002 Air China crash near Gimhae Airport that killed 129 of 166 passengers.
