Airport authorities reported that an Air China aircraft crashed into a hill near Gimhae International Airport around 11:45 a.m. Monday, killing more than 100 people. Witnesses said the airliner, a Boeing 767-200, exploded into flames immediately after crashing into the ground near an apartment complex in Jinaedong, Gimhae, a city on the outskirts of Korea's second largest city of Busan, and broke off into three large sections of burning wreckage. Witnesses and survivors said the airplane had lowered its flying altitude just prior to the crash. A total of 155 passengers and 11 crew members were aboard the CA129 flight, which left Beijing at 8:40 a.m. All but 19 of the passengers were Koreans. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Gimhae at 11:35 a.m., but was in a holding pattern over the airport as landing was impossible due to poor visibility caused by thick fog. Police officers and firefighters have taken survivors to nearby hospitals.