28 Dead in South Korean Plane Crash; Rescue Operations Underway

SEOUL: A tragic plane crash at the Muan airport in South Korea claimed the lives of at least 28 people on Sunday. A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, burst into flames while landing. Emergency officials reported that rescuers were working to evacuate survivors from the wreckage. Local television stations aired footage showing the plane engulfed in flames, with thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.

The aircraft was returning from Bangkok, Thailand, when it encountered difficulties during landing. According to the Yonhap news agency, the plane skidded off the runway and collided with a fence, triggering the fire. Emergency teams were dispatched immediately to manage the situation and rescue survivors. Initial reports indicated that 29 survivors were treated at nearby hospitals for injuries.

This accident comes days after another aviation tragedy in Kazakhstan. On December 25, an Embraer passenger jet crashed near the city of Aktau, killing 38 people. The plane had diverted from its original route over Russia, reportedly due to bad weather. The crash occurred in an area of Russia that had recently been under Ukrainian drone attacks.

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 was also involved in a separate incident. The flight diverted hundreds of miles from its planned route between Azerbaijan and Russia before crashing on the opposite coast of the Caspian Sea. Officials initially suggested that the diversion was due to a bird strike, but aviation experts raised doubts about this explanation.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev described the incident as a “great tragedy” and called for a thorough investigation. He speculated that adverse weather conditions might have contributed to the crash, but emphasized that the exact cause remains unknown.

Video footage of the Azerbaijani crash showed the plane descending steeply before crashing into the ground and erupting into flames. Injured passengers, bloodied and dazed, were seen struggling to escape the wreckage.

Both incidents highlight the urgency of enhancing aviation safety measures and ensuring thorough investigations to prevent similar tragedies in the future. As rescue and recovery efforts continue, the thoughts of many remain with the victims and their families affected by these devastating events.