Fire authorities announced that all but two of the 181 people on board the plane that veered off the runway and crashed into a wall at a South Korean airport died, Yonhap News reported. If confirmed, it would be the worst civil aviation accident in South Korea.
Footage of the incident shows the Boeing 737-800 skidding along the runway at Muan International Airport on Sunday morning before crashing at high speed into what appears to be a concrete barrier, sending part of the plane mid-air. It was seen jumping up and bursting into flames.
Local fire officials said the crash was likely caused by a bird strike and weather conditions. Yonhap News reported that the attack may have caused the plane's landing gear to malfunction. The flight reportedly attempted to land once before the landing gear failed to lower properly and was forced to take a “detour.”
Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of the Muan Fire Department, said at a press conference, “The cause of the accident is presumed to be a combination of bad weather and a bird strike.'' “However, the exact cause will be announced after a joint investigation.”
There were heartbreaking scenes at the airport as more than 100 family members gathered in a conference room to hear updates on their loved ones as rescuers have yet to recover all the bodies from the crash site. . Screams of grief erupted from the room as Lee told his family that most of the passengers were believed to have died.
“Is there really no chance of survival?” a family member asked, and the fire chief could only bow his head and reply, “I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is.”
Some families expressed anger at what they saw as a slow response from authorities and airlines. They had been appealing since this morning to be allowed access to the area near the crash site, but were denied access due to restricted access to the airport area.
According to a report by Yonhap News, the accident occurred around 9 a.m. local time, shortly after Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 landed at an airport about 300 kilometers southwest of Seoul, the last stop of a flight from Bangkok.
Thick smoke could be seen rising into the sky after the crash. Some photos showed parts of the aircraft engulfed in flames.
Yoo Jae-young, 41, who was staying near the airport, told Yonhap News that he saw sparks on the right wing of the plane before the incident. “I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion,” Yu said.
Another witness, Kim Yong-cheol, 70, said the plane failed to land on the first attempt and then circled back to try again. Kim said she heard two “metal scraping” sounds about five minutes before the crash. He saw the failed plane climb up, but then heard a “loud explosion” and saw “black smoke billowing into the sky.”
Low-cost airline Jeju Air switched its website to a minimalist, black-background layout following the accident. “Jeju Air bows deeply and apologizes to all those affected by the Muan Airport accident,” the company said in a statement. Our top priority is to do everything possible to resolve this incident. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. ”
A company official told Yonhap News Agency that the plane involved in Sunday's crash had been in service for 15 years and had no history of accidents.
Two crew members, a man and a woman, were rescued from the rear of the plane with “moderate to severe” injuries, authorities said. Fire authorities said they had mobilized 32 fire engines and dozens of firefighters.
Local authorities said they were coordinating with a major hospital in the nearby city of Gwangju to deal with the injured.
Officials said 173 of the passengers were Korean and two were Thai.
The Muan-Bangkok international flight opened just three weeks ago, on Dec. 8, as part of a broader recovery that will see the regional airport serve routes to 18 international destinations in nine countries this winter, Yonhap News reported. It was done.
The National Fire and Disaster Management Agency announced that the first fire in the plane wreckage was extinguished at 9:46 a.m., 43 minutes after the first emergency call was made at 9:03 a.m.
South Korea's acting president Choi Sang-mok ordered “all available equipment and personnel to be mobilized” for rescue efforts and headed to the crash site.
The incident marks the first major test for Choi, who took office on Friday after South Korea's parliament passed a resolution to impeach former acting president Han Deok-soo.
“I was heartbroken to hear about the tragedy at Muan Airport this morning,” U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg said on social media.
British Ambassador Colin Crooks wrote: “My deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who lost their lives in this morning's horrific air crash in Muan.”
Experts say the South Korean airline industry has a strong track record when it comes to safety, and this is the first fatal accident that Jeju Air, one of South Korea's largest low-cost airlines, has experienced since its launch in 2005. said.
Previous major accidents in South Korea include the 1993 Asiana Airlines crash in Mokpo, which killed 68 people, and the 2002 Air China crash near Gimhae Airport, which killed 129 of 166 passengers. Includes accidents.
On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Jeju Air carrying 74 passengers went off the runway due to strong winds at the southern part of Busan's Gimhae Airport, injuring more than a dozen people.
South Korean airlines have been involved in major aviation disasters overseas. In 1997, a Korean Air plane crashed in Guam, killing all 228 passengers and crew.
Sunday's crash occurred nearly a year after a Japan Airlines jet crashed into a Coast Guard aircraft and burst into flames as it landed at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. All 379 passengers and 12 crew members managed to escape before the plane was engulfed in flames. Five crew members of the Coast Guard plane were killed in the accident.
