[News Today] 179 KILLED IN PLANE CRASH

[LEAD]
Yesterday morning, a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed into the runway barrier at Muan International Airport. This resulted in an explosion that killed 179 of the 181 people on board.

[REPORT]
A plane skating down the runway crashes into a wall.

Soon, thick black smoke rises with towering flames.

The accident occurred at 9:03 a.m on Sunday.

The passenger plane attempted a belly landing without deploying its landing gear, crashing into a wall at the end of the runway.

Bang Geon-jun / Witness
I felt a vibration before I heard a bang a few seconds later. The plane's tail was broken off and the rest was obscured by the smoke.

Jeju Air flight 7C2216 left Bangkok early Sunday morning, local time, to head to Muan International Airport.

There were 181 people on board - 175 passengers and six crew members.

The National Fire Agency reported that the final death toll stood at 179.

Only two crew members were rescued.

Authorities wrapped up the search and rescue mission about 12 hours after the accident.

Out of 175 passengers, 173 were tentatively identified as Koreans and two as Thai nationals.

Jeju Air announced that it will do all it can to handle the accident and apologized for causing concern.

The transport ministry plans to close the airport's runway until January 1 to manage the situation.