39 out of 166 Aboard Survive; (Read photo caption within)
Crash Comes Before the Soccer World Finals
First Crash of 'Air-China'-State-owned

SEOUL (Reuters) - An Air China passenger aircraft ploughed into a South Korean mountain in heavy rain and fog on Monday, killing many of the 166 people on board, but at least 39 survived, rescue officials said.

The crash comes just six weeks before the soccer World Cup finals are co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. South Korea expects as many as 60,000 Chinese soccer fans to visit to watch their country's first appearance in the tournament.
The Boeing 767 flying from Beijing, which was carrying mostly Korean people, crashed and broke into pieces at Kimhae airport in Pusan, South Korea's second largest city.

South Korean officials said the plane, owned by China's largest airline, crashed while trying to land after air traffic controllers told it to take a detour due to bad weather.

38 flights from there to Ulsan, Pusan, Yeosu, Pohang and Mokpo and 42 flights from the cities to Kimpo had been cancelled so far due to heavy rain and fog that had closed some airports in the south of the country.

More flights were expected to be cancelled in the afternoon.

It was the first crash for Air China, Beijing's state-owned flag carrier.

Air China had flown for 47 years without a crash at home or abroad, an official at the flag carrier told Reuters.

The airline is the largest air carrier in China in terms of traffic volume and company assets, according to Air China's Web Site.

Chinese regional airlines suffered a string of crashes in the early 1990s but have steadily improved their safety record since then.

PHOTO CAPTION:

An Air China Boeing 767 aircraft similar to the one that crashed near the South Korean city of Pusan on April 15 is pictured in this undated file photo. REUTERS