Recovery work ongoing after South Korean airplane crashes in failed landing

Recovery work is ongoing after an airplane carrying 181 people crashed in a failed landing attempt and erupted in flames at an airport in Muan in the southwest of South Korea on Sunday morning.

The Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which was traveling from Bangkok, Thailand, veered off the runway and crashed into an outer wall at the Muan International Airport at around 09:07 local time, prompting a huge explosion which saw the the plane engulfed in fire and left the fuselage destroyed.

At least 167 fatalities have been confirmed so far as the death toll continues to rise.

The chief of the Muan fire department said in a televised press briefing on Sunday that most of the 181 people on board were presumed dead aside from two crew members who had been rescued -- a 33-year-old male and a 25-year-old female -- noting there was little chance of any remaining survivors being found.

The passenger plane had been carrying 173 South Korean and two Thai passengers, as well as six crew members. According to authorities, it would take time to recover and identify the bodies as the fuselage was severely destroyed.

South Korea's transport ministry said that its investigation unit had secured both of the two black boxes from the crashed passenger jet. An official with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a press briefing that both flight data and voice recorder devices had been retrieved from the wreckage.

Authorities believe the incident may have been caused by a bird strike that led to landing gear failure, according to South Korean media reports.

The Yonhap News Agency reported that after an unsuccessful first landing attempt due to the malfunctioning landing gear, the aircraft went around again, and made a second attempt with a belly-landing that resulted in the crash into the wall after the plane was seen skidding off the runway. The fire was initially extinguished some 43 minutes after the crash occurred, with about 80 firefighters and helicopters being dispatched to the scene. South Korea's Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, who has now became acting president following the impeachments of president Yoon Suk-yeol and prime minister Han Duck-soo, ordered relevant officials to make all-out efforts and mobilize all available equipment and manpower, while declaring Muan County as a special disaster zone.

Recovery work ongoing after South Korean airplane crashes in failed landing

Recovery work ongoing after South Korean airplane crashes in failed landing

Recovery work ongoing after South Korean airplane crashes in failed landing

Recovery work ongoing after South Korean airplane crashes in failed landing

Recovery work ongoing after South Korean airplane crashes in failed landing

Rescue work ongoing after South Korean airplane crashes in failed landing

China will resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests in the face of new tariffs imposed by the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday.

At a regular press briefing in Beijing, Lin addressed a media query regarding the possibility of a meeting between Chinese and U.S. leaders to discuss tariff issues. "Regarding your specific question about the talks, I would refer you to competent Chinese authorities for further details. We have repeatedly emphasized that pressuring or threatening China is not a right way to engage with us. China will firmly defend its legitimate rights and interests," said the spokesman.

In a bold move to overhaul U.S. trade policy, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new set of levies last week, imposing a 10-percent baseline tariff on imports from all trading partners, with higher rates applied to specific countries.

China vows to firmly defend its interests in response to US tariffs