We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
An aeroplabe carrying 175 passengers has crashed into a wall at an aiport and burst into flames as mass casualties are feared tonight.
The aircraft has smashed into a wall at Muan International Airport in South Korea some 288 miles away from Seoul..
Yonhap news agency reports it was also carrying six flight attendants and appeared to have careered off the runway.
The South Korean news site reports at least 28 passengers are confirmed killed. The plane has exploded following the crash, sustaining heavy damage and catching fire. The South Korean National Fire Agency said that the aircraft is believed to have experienced issue with landing gear due to bird strike.
Shocking footage shows the moment it crashed into the fence:
A terrifying image being carried on Yonhap shows a plane smashes to pieces and in flames at the side of the airport runway – see above.
News1 Korea reports the plane crashed during landing.
Emergency officials initially said a plane caught fire at the South Korean airport after its landing gear malfunctioned.
The flight is the Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 and it had flown from Bangkok, Thailand with 181 on board and has exploded following the crash, sustaining heavy damage and catching fire, Naver News reports.
The Global Economy Times reported that two passengers were rescued from the rear of the aircraft.
The South Korean Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Ministry is investigating the crash. The National Fire Agency said that the aircraft is believed to have experienced an issue with a landing gear due to a bird strike.
Acting President Choi has ordered the mobilisation of all available manpower and equipment for the rescue effort. An investigation is underway.
In horrifying video from the crash in Jeollanam-do, the southernmost province in mainland Korea, the plane is seen skidding on the runway before hitting a wall and exploding in a fireball.
Worrying photos from the scene show a huge plume of black smoke rising into the air and an inferno raging.
Emergency services received the call at 9am local time and authorities are now working to rescue people trapped in the tail section.
Acting President Choi Sung-mok, who was only named interim leader of South Kprea on Friday after his predecessor was impeached, has ordered an all-out rescue effort.
Authorities were conducting an investigation on the site to determine the exact cause of the crash and rescue operations were also under way, the officials said.
It is thought the accident happened after the plane caught fire when its landing gear malfunctioned.
It comes after Vladimir Putin has apologised to Azerbaijan’s president after the downing of a commercial airline over Russia that left 38 dead.
The Kremlin said the “tragic incident” on Wednesday occurred as air defense systems were firing near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, in response to a Ukrainian drone strike.
– This is a breaking news story. Follow us on
Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook or visit The Mirror homepage.
