Tragedy as Four Killed in South Korean Navy Aircraft Crash

A South Korean Navy patrol aircraft carrying four crew members crashed into a mountainside near Pohang, a city in the country’s southeast, on Thursday afternoon.

According to local authorities cited by Yonhap News Agency, the incident occurred at approximately 1:50 p.m. local time (0450 GMT). 

Witnesses in the area reported seeing smoke rising from the crash site shortly after the aircraft went down.

The bodies of all four people aboard the plane have since been recovered, Yonhap reported.

The navy, in a short statement to reporters, said the crash occurred after the aircraft took off for a training exercise, but crashed due to unidentified reasons.

The navy said that it is investigating further details.

Fire workers were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze.

dpa/NAN