JAKARTA - The number of fatalities in the Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport, South Korea, on Sunday increased to 122 people, Yonhap reported.
Citing the local fire fighting team, the news agency reported that efforts to ensure the death toll in the incident were still ongoing.
It was previously reported that the unlucky Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying 181 passengers and six crew members came out of the runway when they landed and hit the airport fence so that the plane caught fire.
The plane allegedly hit a flock of birds on landing.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that so far, no Indonesian passengers on the Jeju Air plane had the accident.
"The government and the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul continue to monitor developments related to the disaster," said Judha Nugraha, Director General of Indonesian Citizen Protection (PWNI) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Regarding the unfortunate incident, local media footage showed the plane skidded on the runway, engulfed in flames and scattered debris.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
A passenger and a crew was found safe in the tail of the plane, while rescue efforts were ongoing.
However, authorities stated that the number of victims is likely to continue to grow.
The majority of passengers are South Korean citizens, with an additional two Thai nationals.
An airport official said the top priority of the authorities was to save those who were still trapped in the wreckage.
South Korean interim president Choi Sung-mok ordered a "total" rescue effort in response to the crash.
Choi, who is currently taking a temporary lead amid a political crisis, held an emergency meeting to oversee the response to the incident.
Jeju Air said it was verifying the accident report.
The accident has become one of South Korea's deadliest flight incidents in recent years.
The initial fire was extinguished, and an investigation is ongoing to determine the exact cause of the accident.
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