South Korean Navy plane crash kills all 4 on board - VIDEO/UPDATED
All four South Korean Navy officers aboard a maritime patrol aircraft were killed after the plane crashed on a mountain in the southeastern city of Pohang on Thursday, the Navy said.
The crash occurred at around 1:49 p.m., and witnesses reported smoke rising from the mountain with sounds of explosions, News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.
"A P-3 maritime patrol aircraft that took off at 1:43 p.m. for landing and takeoff training from an air base in Pohang crashed at a nearby location at around 1:49 p.m., due to an unspecified reason," the Navy said.
Four people were on board -- two commissioned officers and two non-commissioned officers.
The Navy said it recovered the dead bodies of all four officers. The officers' identities have yet to be confirmed.
The aircraft was usually based at a Navy unit on the southern island of Jeju, but had flown to Pohang for training, a Navy official said.
The Navy said it has launched an investigative unit to look into further details and grounded the P-3 maritime patrol aircraft.
No civilian casualties were reported.
(12:11)
Three bodies were retrieved after a South Korean Navy patrol aircraft carrying four people crashed on a mountain in the southeastern city of Pohang on Thursday, authorities said.
The crash occurred at around 1:49 p.m., and witnesses reported smoke rising from the mountain with sounds of explosions, News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.
"A P-3 maritime patrol aircraft that took off at 1:43 p.m. for landing and takeoff training from an air base in Pohang crashed at a nearby location at around 1:49 p.m., due to an unspecified reason," the Navy said.
Later in the day, three bodies, believed to be those on the aircraft, were retrieved at the crash scene.
The Navy separately confirmed the deaths of two of the four crew members who were aboard -- comprising two officers and two non-commissioned officers. It has yet to verify their identities.
The Navy said it has launched an investigative unit to look into further details. No civilian casualties were reported.
Acting President Lee Ju-ho was briefed on the crash by acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and called for all-out efforts to rescue the passengers and prevent further damage to the surrounding environment, his office said.
The Navy operates 16 P-3C aircraft, dubbed the "submarine killer" for its anti-submarine capabilities. The first eight of the 16 aircraft were deployed in 1995.
The recent accident marks the first known crash involving a P-3C aircraft deployed by the armed service.
(09:39)
A Navy patrol plane carrying four people crashed on a mountain in the southeastern city of Pohang on Thursday, authorities said.
The crash occurred at 1:52 p.m. and witnesses reported smoke rising from the mountain, News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.
"A P-3 maritime patrol aircraft that took off for training from an air base in Pohang at 1:43 p.m. crashed at a nearby location due to unidentified reasons," the Navy said in a notice to reporters.
The Navy confirmed that four people were aboard the aircraft, saying it is investigating further details, including casualties.
Fire authorities have been dispatched to the scene to extinguish the fire.
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