At least six people were injured in a runway accident at South Korea's Jeju International Airport on Tuesday, local media reported.

 

Six people, including the chief pilot, were injured and taken to a nearby hospital after a 76-seat passenger airplane of the Hansung Air skidded off the runway at 4:15 p.m. (0715 GMT) Tuesday afternoon when it was landing at Jeju International Airport, officials of the Jeju International Airport said.

 

The jet of Hansung Air, a minor domestic carrier, departed from Seoul's Gimpo Airport at 3:07 p.m. and was scheduled to land at Jeju Island's tourist airport at 4:30 p.m.

 

The accident occurred when a sudden rush of wind forced the plane to attempt a hard landing with its nose gear first, which ultimately caused the gear to break and made the plane skid off the runway, the South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, quoting an unnamed official of the Hansung Airlines.

 

The Jeju International Airport had been temporarily closed between 4:15 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. due to the accident.

 

The police have launched investigation on the cause of the accident, local media said.

 

It was the first accident for the Hansung Air since it was established in July last year.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2006)