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Four dead after Navy aircraft crashes in Pohang

Published: 29 May. 2025, 14:37 Updated: 29 May. 2025, 18:42

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Firefighters put out fires at the crash site of a P-3C aircraft that went down in Pohang on May 29. [NEWS1]

A Navy aircraft crashed on a mountain in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, on Thursday, according to city authorities.

The crash occurred around 1:52 p.m., and witnesses reported smoke rising from the mountain.

Four people were reported aboard the aircraft, a P-3C patrol plane, according to the authorities. Korean news outlets initially reported that three bodies were found at the crash site, but the Navy later clarified that two were found.

As of 6:33 p.m. all four bodies were recovered.

The four passengers aboard the aircraft included one pilot, who was a major, one captain and two non-commissioned officers.

The fire department deployed 17 firefighting helicopters, firefighting equipment, and 40 personnel to the scene to carry out firefighting operations.

There are many houses, including apartments, near the crash site, but no civilian casualties have been reported so far.

“We have only confirmed that what crashed was a naval aircraft, and we are also investigating the exact circumstances of the accident and the casualties,” said a Pohang city official.

The P-3C that crashed was a U.S.-made antisubmarine patrol aircraft that the Korean Navy had operated since 1995.

Developed by Lockheed Martin, the early P-3A was produced in the early 1960s, while the improved P-3C was introduced in Korea later.

There are eight aircraft of the same type as the one involved in the accident deployed in Korea, and they are operated by naval units in Pohang and Jeju, according to the Navy.

The military said that the aircraft in question does not have the ability for the passengers to escape on their own, like a fighter jet.

A naval official explained that it was "during takeoff and landing training in Pohang" and "as part of a training exercise that is conducted regularly."

In the wake of the crash, Acting President and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho instructed related ministries and agencies to "prioritize the rescue of the passengers and make every effort to quickly investigate the damage and prevent additional damage.”

Updated, May 29, 2025: Added details about emergency response, discovery of bodies.
Updated, May 29, 2025: Added details about military, acting president's responses.
Updated, May 29, 2025: Added details of final body count.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]