This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Paul Moss and in this special edition recorded on Sunday the 29th of December at 1230 GMT,

we have the latest from Muang Airport in South Korea, where a plane has crashed on landing killing nearly 180 people.

The country's acting president has declared a period

of national mourning. We also hear from a pilot who tells us why the crew may have had no chance

to save the stricken aircraft. Plus, we ask what this accident means for South Korea, a nation

already in the midst of turmoil.

Looking at footage of the crash at South Korea's Mouan Airport, it seems clear the plane was still intact when it touched down.

But it's also clear that something had gone terribly wrong with its undercarriage.

The fuse large scrapes

along the runway. The pilots apparently unable to keep control. And within seconds, you see the Boeing

737 strike a wall and burst into flames. 181 people were on board the flight from Bangkok. Most of them

thought to be holiday makers who'd gone for a Christmas

break. It was left to an airport official to read out a list of the dead to family members

who'd gathered there.

Mark Yonan, Yang Yu-jong-si, Park Yiansu, Xi,

John Mi, Xi, Yong Bongo'si.

Only two people escape from the burning plane, making this the deadliest air accident in South Korea.

And establishing exactly what happened may be a challenge given the extensive damage the aircraft suffered.

But there is already speculation about what went wrong.

As we heard from the chief of the local

Moand fire station, Li Zhong Yun, when he spoke at a news conference.

...