An Asiana Airlines cargo plane carrying two crew members crashed Thursday into
waters off Jeju Island, the airliner`s first accident since one of its passenger
plane crashed in a hill in 1993.

Asiana and the Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Ministry said the Boeing
747 cargo jet crashed into waters 129 kilometers southwest from Jeju
International Airport at 4:12 a.m.

The plane had departed from Incheon International Airport at 2:47 a.m. and
headed for Shanghai. It crashed while flying to the Jeju airport for an
emergency landing after a fire broke out in its cargo, according to Asiana.

Maritime patrol boats and helicopters searched for pilot Choi Sang-ki and
co-pilot Lee Jeong-woong in waters where the plane crashed, but they remained
missing.

The plane carried 58 tons of semiconductors, electronic and machine parts,
and fabrics and 0.4 tons of flammable cargo such as lithium batteries, paints,
amino acid and synthetic resins.

An Asiana source said, “All goods were loaded according to standards and
procedures of the International Air Transport Association.”

Jeju maritime police reported a communications interruption with the plane at
4:28 a.m. and immediately dispatched five patrol boats and four helicopters to
the scene of the crash. They collected more than 50 pieces of debris and
fragments of the plane having an Asiana logo.

SOURCE DONGA.COM