OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Notre Dame forward Danny Nelson scored twice, Western Michigan’s Hampton Slukynsky made 25 saves and the defending champion United States beat Latvia 5-1 on Saturday in the world junior hockey championship.
The United States improved to 2-0 in Group A play, while Latvia dropped to 1-1 a day after stunning Canada with a 3-2 victory in a shootout.
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The puck bounces off the post behind United States goaltender Hampton Slukynsky during third-period IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game action against Latvia, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Gabe Perreault (34) pokes the puck away from Latvia forward Olivers Murnieks (14) during the first period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States defenseman Cole Hutson (24) pressures Latvia goaltender Linards Feldbergs (29) as he makes a save during the first period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Latvia forward Rudolfs Berzkalns (17) loses a skate blade as he is checked by United States forward Brodie Ziemer (74) during the third period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Latvia forward Valdis Dommers (22) tries to score on United States goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (30) during the second period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States goaltender Hampton Slukynsky watches defenseman Adam Kleber, right, tie up Latvia forward Davis Livsics during the third period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Carey Terrance (10) tries to put the puck past Latvia goaltender Linards Feldbergs (29) during the first period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Danny Nelson, center, celebrates his goal with teammates defenseman Colin Ralph (4), defenseman Aram Minnetian (14) and forward Cole Eiserman during the first period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game against Latvia, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States defenseman Aram Minnetian (14) and defenseman Zeev Buium (28) congratulate goaltender Hampton Slukynsky after a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game against Latvia, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Ryan Leonard (9) collides with Latvia forward Dmitrijs Dilevka (11) during the second period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Danny Nelson celebrates his goal against Latvia during the second period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Ryan Leonard (9) scores on Latvia goaltender Linards Feldbergs (29) during the second period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
“We saw some growth in our game today,” coach David Carle of Denver said. ”“Was it perfect? No. A lot of compliments to Latvia and how hard they played. We had to earn every inch of ice we got and that will help us as we move forward in the tournament.”
Boston College’s Ryan Leonard, Denver’s Zeev Buium and Minnesota Duluth’s Max Plante also scored for the Americans. They will be back in action Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre against Finland, then close group play Tuesday night against Canada.
Davids Livsics scored for Latvia. Linards Feldbergs stopped 36 shots after making 55 saves against Canada and stopping all eight attempts in the shootout.
In the only other game of the day, Czechia beat Kazakhstan 14-2 at TD Place. Czechia and Sweden are both 2-0 in Group B. Matej Mastalirsky, Vojtech Hradec and Jakub Stancl had hat tricks, with Hradec and Stancl also each assisting on two goals.
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The puck bounces off the post behind United States goaltender Hampton Slukynsky during third-period IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game action against Latvia, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Gabe Perreault (34) pokes the puck away from Latvia forward Olivers Murnieks (14) during the first period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States defenseman Cole Hutson (24) pressures Latvia goaltender Linards Feldbergs (29) as he makes a save during the first period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Latvia forward Rudolfs Berzkalns (17) loses a skate blade as he is checked by United States forward Brodie Ziemer (74) during the third period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Latvia forward Valdis Dommers (22) tries to score on United States goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (30) during the second period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States goaltender Hampton Slukynsky watches defenseman Adam Kleber, right, tie up Latvia forward Davis Livsics during the third period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Carey Terrance (10) tries to put the puck past Latvia goaltender Linards Feldbergs (29) during the first period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Danny Nelson, center, celebrates his goal with teammates defenseman Colin Ralph (4), defenseman Aram Minnetian (14) and forward Cole Eiserman during the first period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game against Latvia, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States defenseman Aram Minnetian (14) and defenseman Zeev Buium (28) congratulate goaltender Hampton Slukynsky after a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game against Latvia, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Ryan Leonard (9) collides with Latvia forward Dmitrijs Dilevka (11) during the second period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Danny Nelson celebrates his goal against Latvia during the second period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States forward Ryan Leonard (9) scores on Latvia goaltender Linards Feldbergs (29) during the second period of a IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game, Saturday, Dec.28, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A passenger plane skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport Sunday, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people on board died in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters.
The Jeju Air plane crashed while landing in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Seoul. The Transport Ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet that had arrived from Bangkok and that the crash happened at 9:03 a.m.
A total of 179 people — 85 women, 84 men and 10 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable — died in the fire, the South Korean fire agency said. Emergency workers pulled two people, both crew members, to safety. Health officials said they are conscious and not in life-threatening condition.
Among the 177 bodies so far found, officials have so far identified 88 of them, the fire agency said. The passengers were predominantly South Korean, as well as two Thai nationals. Thailand's Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Seoul received confirmation from South Korean authorities that the two Thai passengers were among the fatalities.
The fire agency deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the blaze. About 1,570 firefighters, police officers, soldiers and other officials were also sent to the site, according to the fire agency and transport ministry.
Footage of the crash aired by South Korean television channels showed the plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed, apparently with its landing gear still closed, overrunning the runway and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility, triggering an explosion. Other local TV stations aired footage showing thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the plane, which was engulfed in flames.
Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognizable among the wreckage. Lee said that workers were looking into various possibilities about what caused the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds, Lee said.
Transport Ministry officials later said their early assessment of communication records show the airport control tower issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land and gave its pilot permission to land in a different area. The pilot sent out a distress signal shortly before the plane overshot the end of the runway and skidded across a buffer zone before hitting the wall, the officials said.
Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan said workers have retrieved the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of the plane’s black box, which will be examined by government experts investigating the cause of the crash and fire. He said it may take months for investigators to complete their probe. The runway at the Muan airport will be closed until Jan. 1, the ministry said.
Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed deep condolences to the families of those affected by the accident in a post on social platform X. Paetongtarn said she ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance immediately.
Kerati Kijmanawat, the director of Airports of Thailand, confirmed in a statement that Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport with no reports of abnormal conditions with the aircraft or on the runway.
Jeju Air in a statement expressed its “deep apology” over the crash and said it will do its “utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident.”
In a televised news conference, Kim E-bae, Jeju Air’s president, bowed deeply with other senior company officials as he apologized to bereaved families and said he feels “full responsibility” for the incident. Kim said the company hadn’t identified any mechanical problems with the aircraft following regular checkups and that he would wait for the results of government investigations into the cause of the incident.
Family members wailed as officials announced the names of some victims at a lounge in the Muan airport.
Boeing said in a statement on X it was in contact with Jeju Air and is ready to support the company in dealing with the crash.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” Boeing said.
The incident came as South Korea is embroiled into a huge political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. Last Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached acting President Han Duck-soo and suspended his duties, leading Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok to take over.
Choi, who traveled to the site in Muan, called for officials to employ all available resources to find the missing and identify the victims as soon as possible. The government declared Muan a special disaster zone to provide assistance to the families of victims and designated a weeklong national mourning period through Saturday.
Yoon’s office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, presided over an emergency meeting between senior presidential staff to discuss the crash and reported the details to Choi. Yoon expressed condolences to the victims in a Facebook posting.
The Muan crash is one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea’s aviation history. The last time South Korea suffered a large-scale air disaster was in 1997, when a Korean Airline plane crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board. In 2013, an Asiana Airlines plane crash-landed in San Francisco, killing three and injuring approximately 200.
Sunday’s accident was also one of the worst landing mishaps since a July 2007 crash that killed all 187 people on board and 12 others on the ground when an Airbus A320 slid off a slick airstrip in Sao Paulo and collided with a nearby building, according to data compiled by the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit group aimed at improving air safety. In 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express aircraft overshot a runway in Mangalore, India, and plummeted into a gorge before erupting into flames, according to the safety foundation. World leaders expressed their sympathies as South Korea dealt with the tragedy.
During his Angelus prayer in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said he joins in “prayer for the survivors and the dead.” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of many precious lives” in a message released through Tokyo’s Foreign Ministry. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that "each life lost is an immeasurable tragedy" and that he extends his “heartfelt condolences” on behalf of Ukrainian people and himself.
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Associated Press journalists Bobby Caina Calvan in New York, Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.
Relatives take photos of passenger lists at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, after a passenger plane crashed at the airport. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Rescue team carry the body of a passenger at the site of a plane fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Rescue team members work at the site of a plane fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Relatives of passengers gather at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, after a passenger plane crashed at the airport. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Relatives of passengers watch the news regarding the plane crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Rescue team carry the body of a passenger at the site of a plane fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Tourists check an electronic board departure schedule at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Chatkla Samnaingjam)
Rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korean army soldiers work outside of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A tourist walks beside an office of the Jeju Air at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Chatkla Samnaingjam)
Firefighters and rescue team members work outside of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
In this photo provided by South Korea's Muan Fire Station, a passenger plane is in flames at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (South Korea's Muan Fire Station via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Firefighters and rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae, fourth from left, and other executive members bow in apology ahead of a briefing in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 after its passenger plane burst into flames at an airport in the town of Muan. (Im Hun-jung/Yonhap via AP)
Family members of the passengers on a plane which burst into flames, weep at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Park Ki-woong/Newsis via AP)
An official from fire station briefs to the family members of the passengers on a plane which burst into flames, at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Park Ki-woong/Newsis via AP)
In this photo provided by South Korea's Muan Fire Station, a passenger plane is in flames at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (South Korea's Muan Fire Station via AP)
Rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane outside of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane outside of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Rescue team members work outside of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Firefighters and rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
A victim rescued from a plane crash is transported to a hospital in Mokpo, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Geun-young/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
People watch as firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Lee Young-ju/Newsis via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work on the runway of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Lee Young-ju/Newsis via AP)
A rescue team works to extinguish a fire at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Maeng Dae-hwan/Newsis via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work on the runway of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Lee Young-ju/Newsis via AP)
Fire engines work to extinguish a fire at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Maeng Dae-hwan/Newsis via AP)
Firefighters and rescue team members work at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Maeng Dae-hwan/Newsis via AP)
A rescue team prepares to work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Maeng Dae-hwan/Newsis via AP)
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire off the runway of Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Maeng Dae-hwan/Newsis via AP)
