SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean authorities say at least 179 people died when a passenger plane burst into flames Sunday after skidding off a runway and slamming into a concrete fence. Initial reports indicate the plane’s landing gear failed to deploy when the Jeju Air jet was landing in Muan, about 290 kilometers south of Seoul. The plane, carrying 181 people, was returning from Bangkok. It is one of South Korea’s deadliest aviation disasters ever. “Of the 179 dead, 65 have been identified,” South Korea’s fire agency said. Two people, both crew members, were pulled out of the wreckage alive. Video footage aired on South Korean television shows the Boeing 737-800 speeding across the runway at a high speed and colliding with a concrete barrier, causing a fiery explosion. Dozens of fire trucks were deployed to try to put out the blaze. “Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of [it] looks almost impossible to recognize,” Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told reporters as he described what was left of the plane. Lee added that investigators are examining bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors in the incident. Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan said the flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been retrieved. President Joe Biden said the U.S. was ready to offer any assistance needed in the wake of the disaster. “As close allies, the American people share deep bonds of friendship with the South Korean people and our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragedy. The United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance,” Biden said in a statement released…Read more