News Flash
Title: News Flash
Pairing: Bandfic - some pairings to come
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Plane crash
Genre: News Flash
Summary: A plane crash leaves Super Junior missing, presumed dead.
K-Pop Typhoon Tragedy
A chartered Jet plane carrying Korean boy band Super Junior from the USA to Australia has vanished over the Pacific after flying into turbulence, airline officials say.
The chartered Boeing BBJ1 business jet is reported to have sent an automatic message at 14:20 GMT, while on its way to refuel at Nadi airport in Fiji, reporting severe turbulence. It is currently believed that the plane may have been struck by lightning. As the aircraft was over the Pacific Ocean when it was lost, the international search and rescue effort has been particularly difficult.
"The search area is enormous, and it is also possible that the plane veered off course to avoid the inclement weather." Matthew Goodes, Qantas' head of communication said, "It is impossible for us to know exactly what happened until we have located the aircraft." The rescue effort has been further hampered by continuing storms in the South Pacific. A spokesman for Air Korea said that chances of finding survivors were "very unlikely."
Lee Soo Man, founding chairman of SM Entertainment, the management company for the band, said "This is a tragedy the likes of which has never been seen in the entertainment industry," during a press conference in Seoul. "It is a catastrophe and the entire company is thinking of the members, the crew and their families, and shares their pain."
SM flight BBJ1 64 from Los Angeles had 24 passengers on board, including the band, their staff and 4 crew. They were flying to Australia to perform their first concert on the continent as part of their world tour, which had so far consisted of 26 shows in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and South America.
The plane was due to land in Nadi to refuel at 17:10 GMT (05:10 local time). It made contact with Fijian air traffic controllers at 01:30 local time, when crew reported that the plane was flying normally. At about 02:00 the captain reported heavy turbulence and requested permission to alter his course. At 02:20 air traffic control were not able to raise the plane on radio and search and rescue were alerted. By 03:00 a coastguard vessel had been dispatched. Both New Zealand and Australia have dispatched naval vessels to the search and rescue effort and the USA has provided satellite technology to assist the search.
"It is a possibility that the plane has been struck by lightning" Matthew Goodes of Qantas said, "Planes get hit by lightning fairly frequently, generally this has no adverse affects so there may be other factors contributing to this event that we are unaware of at this time." The cause of the plane's disappearance remains a mystery.
In Seoul candle lit vigils are being held outside SM Entertainment's offices as well as KBS studios and the apartment buildings where the missing band members lived. Other Korean stars have expressed their sorrow "They are our friends and brothers. We have shared wonderful times together and we hope that they are rescued and brought home safely so that we can share many more." Jung Yunho of band DBSK said.
In China, a spokesman for former Super Junior member and Chinese super star, Han Geng (Transformers 4) who sued SM Entertainment in 2009 in order to end his contract, said "Han Geng is flying to Korea tomorrow to be with all those at SM Entertainment. He is in complete shock; his thoughts are with the members, their families, friends and fans. He hopes previous disagreements between himself and the company can be set aside as everyone tries to come to terms with what has happened."
While the search and rescue effort continues tonight in the South Pacific, hopes of finding survivors are dwindling.
"It is always distressing when a life is lost." Said Korean TV host Shin Dong Yup, "but to loose so much talent and potential together is truly a tragedy."