The death toll in South Korea's deadliest plane crash in decades rose to 179 on Monday, a day after it rocked the country, which was already mired in intense political turmoil.
The United States is currently sending investigators to help determine what caused a Jeju Air jet to crash-land at Muan Airport and crash into a concrete barrier on Sunday.
Meanwhile, South Korean authorities are examining more than 600 body parts and the smell of blood is still present in the air at the crash site, the Daily Mail reported.
So far, 141 bodies have been identified. The youngest passenger was 3 years old and the oldest 78 years old, the BBC reported.
On Monday, December 30, 2024, South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok, wearing a green jacket, visits the scene of an aircraft fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
There were 181 people on board the plane, but the only survivors were flight attendants Lee, 32, and Kwon, 25, who were pulled alive from the back end of the burning plane.
Doctors at Mokpo Koryo Hospital reportedly described how Lee, who suffered fractures to his left shoulder and head but remained conscious, repeatedly asked, “What happened?'' and “Why am I here?”
“She seemed to be in a state of near panic and was probably worried about the safety of the plane and the passengers,” a hospital official told The Korean Times.
Aviation expert questions bird strike theory of South Korean plane crash, 'doesn't make sense'
According to reports, Kwon was being treated at Mokpo Central Hospital, where he suffered scalp lacerations, a fractured ankle, and abdominal pain. She also did not immediately remember the accident.
“Her life is not in danger, but the trauma and injuries are serious,” another hospital said, according to the Korean Times.
South Korea's Ministry of Transport on Monday conducted safety inspections of all 101 Boeing 737-800 passenger planes operated by the country's airlines, and plans a wide-ranging review of the safety standards of Jeju Air, which operates 39 of them. announced. Choo Jeong-wan, a senior ministry official, said representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing Co. were scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Monday to participate in the investigation.
“The NTSB led a U.S. investigation team (NTSB, Boeing, and FAA) to assist the Korean Air and Rail Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) in its investigation of the December 29 Jeju Air accident at Muan International Airport. Republic of Korea,” the NTSB newsroom account wrote on X.
Ministry officials also questioned whether Muan Airport's localizer, a concrete fence that houses a series of antennas designed to safely guide aircraft during landing, should have been made of lightweight material that is more susceptible to breakage in a crash. He said he would investigate.
Joo said the ministry has determined that similar concrete structures exist at other airports in the country, including Jeju Island and the southern cities of Yeosu and Pohang, as well as airports in the United States, Spain and South Africa.
Sunday's crash was the worst aviation disaster in decades and prompted an outpouring of public sympathy. Many people believe that the recent successive impeachment of two of the country's top officials, President Yun Seok-Yeong and Prime Minister Han Do-soo, and the political turmoil caused by Yun, will help the South Korean government deal with the leadership vacuum. They are concerned about how effectively they will respond to disasters. Martial law was briefly imposed earlier this month.
New acting President Choi Sang-mok presided over a task force meeting regarding the accident on Monday and instructed authorities to conduct an urgent review of the country's aircraft operation system.
“The essence of a responsible response is to completely revamp the aviation safety system to prevent similar incidents from happening again, and to build a safer Republic of Korea,” Choi, who is also vice prime minister and finance minister, said, according to the paper. Deaf,” he said. Associated Press.
A police officer works with a dog outside Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
Video captures South Korean plane's final moments before it crashes into concrete fence and explodes
A Boeing 737-800 operated by South Korean low-cost airline Jeju Air aborted its first landing for reasons that were not immediately clear. Later, during the second landing attempt, a bird strike warning was received from the ground control center before the pilot issued a distress call. The plane landed without its nose gear deployed, went over the runway, crashed into a concrete fence, and exploded in a fireball.
The Department of Transportation said authorities have identified 146 bodies and are collecting DNA and fingerprint samples from the remaining 33 bodies, according to the Associated Press.
Park Han-shin, a representative for the family, said he was told that the body was badly damaged and that it would take some time for authorities to return it to the family.
“We demand that the government mobilize more personnel to return our brothers and families as soon as possible and unharmed,” he said, fighting back tears.
Early Monday, another Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air returned to Seoul's Gimpo International Airport after the pilot detected a problem with its landing gear shortly after takeoff. Jeju Airline executive Song Kyung-hoon said the problem was resolved through communication with the equipment center on the ground, but the pilot decided to return to Gimpo as a precaution.
The South Korean flag flies at half-mast at a government building in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, December 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin Man)
Zhu said authorities are investigating whether there may have been a communication problem between air traffic controllers and the pilot.
“Our current understanding is that communications may have been somewhat disabled or interrupted at some point during the go-around process prior to landing and impact,” he said. Ta.
Ministry officials said Monday that the plane's flight data and cockpit audio recorder had been transferred to a research center at Gimpo Airport ahead of analysis. Ministry officials earlier said the investigation into the crash would take several months to complete.
The Muan crash was South Korea's worst air disaster since 1997, when a Korean Air flight crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board.
The crash shocked and humiliated many South Koreans, and the government announced a seven-day period of national mourning until January 4th. Some question whether this crash has safety or regulatory issues at play, like the 2022 Halloween Seoul crash that killed 160 people. There were too. The 2014 ferry sinking killed 304 people.
Former airline pilot and CEO John Cox said footage of the accident showed the pilots did not deploy flaps or slats to slow the plane, suggesting a possible hydraulic failure. The landing gear was not lowered manually, suggesting there was no time, the Safety Operating Systems Bureau in St. Petersburg, Florida, told The Associated Press.
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Nevertheless, the jetliner was under control and flying in a straight line, and without the barrier so close to the runway, any damage or injuries likely would have been minimal, Cox said. Ta. Other observers said landing gear failure was likely the immediate cause of the crash, although video showed the plane experiencing suspected engine trouble. They told the AP there was unlikely to be a connection between the landing gear problem and the suspected engine problem.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
