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A plane carrying 181 passengers has crashed at a South Korean airport, with at least 176 people losing their lives, according to the latest reports from the local fire department and rescue teams. The aircraft, a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800, made a crash landing at the Muan International Airport in the southwestern part of the country, with the plane veering off the runway and slamming into a wall, according to a video broadcast on South Korean television.
The plane, operated by Jeju Air, was on a return flight from Bangkok, Thailand, and had 175 passengers and six crew members on board. The transport ministry identified the aircraft and reported that the crash occurred at 9:03 a.m. local time.
The passengers on board included 173 South Koreans, two Thais, and six crew members. As of now, the fire department has officially confirmed 120 fatalities.
Two people, both crew members, were rescued alive, according to media reports.
The CEO of Jeju Air told journalists at the scene that the cause of the crash remains unknown, with no prior history of accidents and no initial signs of mechanical failure. Some reports suggest that a possible bird strike, with one or more birds colliding with the plane, may have led to the failure of the landing gear, according to Yonhap news agency.
All flights to and from Muan have been suspended for the time being. The airport, located in the southwestern province of Jeolla, is about 300 kilometers from the capital, Seoul, and is not a major hub for international flights.
This is the deadliest crash of a South Korean airline since the Korean Air disaster in 1997, which resulted in over 200 fatalities, and the largest aviation disaster on South Korean soil, surpassing the Air China crash in 2010, which claimed 129 lives.
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