South Korea declares 177 passengers dead, 2 missing in plane crash
SEOUL
South Korean authorities declared 177 passengers and crew dead, two missing, and two rescued after a plane crashed at Muan International Airport on Sunday, while a search for missing people is still ongoing.
Earlier, officials of the Jeolla Fire Department, while briefing passengers' families at the airport, said that "out of the 181 passengers, most are presumed dead, except for the two crew members, who were rescued," Yonhap News Agency reported.
A Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air carrying 181 passengers, including six crew, caught fire during landing after reportedly experiencing landing gear issues around 9:07 a.m. local time (0007GMT) in Muan County, 288 kilometers (179 miles) southwest of Seoul.
The plane skidded along the ground without landing gear and crashed into a concrete wall before bursting into flames with a deafening explosion, according to the news agency.
The twin-engine Boeing aircraft, returning from Bangkok, veered off the runway and collided with a fence before slamming into a wall in a fiery explosion.
Among the passengers were 93 women and 82 men, ranging in age from three to 78 years.
It was the deadliest incident in South Korean history, following the 1997 Korean Air plane crash in Guam, which killed 225 people.
Footage by local media showed the plane skidding down the runway, engulfed in flames and debris.
Local authorities said that the control tower warned of a bird strike just one minute before the plane made a crash landing.
Two crew members were found alive in the tail section of the vehicle and were later transferred to a Seoul hospital.
Before the crash, witnesses reported seeing flames in the jet's engine and hearing multiple explosions.
Yoo Jae-yong, a resident, told the news agency that he was at home when he noticed a spark on the plane's right wing as it attempted to land at the airport. "I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion."
Boeing, a U.S. aviation company, said it is in contact with Jeju Air about flight 2216 and is ready to assist.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew," it said in a statement.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae also apologized and stated that the cause of the crash has yet to be determined as government agencies continue to investigate.
The majority of the passengers were Koreans, in addition to two Thai nationals.
An airport official said authorities are concentrating on rescuing those trapped in the wreckage and that the airport runway would be closed until January 1 morning.
"After the plane collided with the wall, passengers were thrown out of the aircraft. The chances of survival are extremely low," said a firefighting agency official, adding that "the aircraft has almost completely been destroyed, and it is difficult to identify the deceased. We are in the process of recovering the remains, which will take time."
Local authorities also set up a temporary morgue inside the Muan airport to lay the victims’ bodies.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sung-mok, ordered "all-out rescue efforts" in response.
Choi, who assumed interim leadership amid a political crisis, convened an emergency meeting to oversee the response.
The crash marks one of the deadliest aviation accidents in South Korea in recent years.
The initial fire was extinguished, and investigations into the cause are underway to determine a definite cause.
