Last update:December 29, 2024, 9:23 p.m. IST

Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crashed into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, killing 179 of the 181 passengers on board. This is the worst air disaster the country has seen since 1997.

An excavator is used to lift burnt chairs from the wreckage of a plane that crashed after going off the runway at Muan International Airport. (Reuters)

A Jeju Air plane from Bangkok carrying 175 passengers and six crew members crashed at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Saturday, in the country’s worst-ever aviation disaster, killing all all but two people on board.

Rescue operations are officially over all passengers were confirmed dead and only two of the six crew members managed to survive the fatal crash of the Boeing 737-800. The crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 is South Korea’s deadliest incident since the Korean Air Lines crash in 1997, which killed more than 200 people.

The plane attempted a crash landing after suffering a landing gear malfunction. Horrific visuals showed the twin-engine plane crashing into the wall outside the airport, bursting into a ball of fire followed by large plumes of black smoke.

South Korea’s new interim president, Choi Sang-mok, announced a seven-day national mourning period following the accident. “We extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in this unexpected tragedy,” he said.

Choi also designated Muan as a special disaster zone, making it eligible for state support, according to Yonhap News Agency. “We will provide all necessary assistance for recovery efforts, support for bereaved families and medical care for the injured,” he said.

Bird strike or mechanical problem?

Various possible reasons for the accident emerged, with initial investigations indicating cell failure following a “bird strike”. Firefighters said the bird strike threw passengers from the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed.”

According to YonhapThe Jeju Air jetliner approached Muan Airport at around 8:54 a.m. (local time) and declared May Day at 8:58 a.m., just one minute after the control tower issued a bird strike warning, as it attempted to crash in the opposite direction. from the track at 9 a.m.

Some analysts have suggested other reasons for the accident, including technical problems. They argued that the engines and brakes on both sides of the plane must have failed in such an accident, and that a bird strike alone could not have caused simultaneous failures of all critical components.

Aviation experts largely agree that inoperable landing gear was a direct cause of the accident. “A plane has several brakes, and if the landing gear isn’t working, the reverse propulsion motors raise the wing flaps, which act as speed brakes. But they don’t seem to have worked in this case,” said Professor Choi Kee-young of Inha University.

Crash site smelled of ‘fuel and blood’

Rescue workers used a giant yellow crane to lift the charred fuselage of the orange and white plane onto the Muan runway. Pieces of airplane seats and luggage were scattered on the ground next to the runway, painting a grim picture of the catastrophic impact of the crash.

Lee Jeong-hyun, Muan fire chief, said only the rear section retained some shape after the crash, while the rest of the fuselage was “almost impossible to recognize.” The two surviving crew members were hospitalized as mortuary vehicles lined up to take the bodies away.

Witnesses recounted Reuters that the crash site smelled of “aviation fuel and blood” as workers wearing protective suits and masks canvassed the area while the military searched for the bodies. A temporary morgue was set up in the area.

Plane crash triggers wave of grief among families

South Korean firefighters said 65 of the 179 victims who died had been identified. As the names of the victims were announced by Lee, the Muan fire chief, inside the airport terminal, each name triggered fresh cries of grief as relatives screamed and cried.

One person shared that they received a heartbreaking message from a passenger moments before the crash, reporting that a bird had hit the wing of the plane. “Should I say my last words? ” read a message on the phone.

“Is there no possibility of survival?” asked another member of the grieving family. “Unfortunately, that seems to be the case,” Lee said, head down. Some people demanded that they be allowed to visit the accident site so that they could identify their family members.

“I had a son on that plane,” said an elderly man waiting in the airport lounge, speaking on condition of anonymity. AFP. “My younger sister went to heaven today,” said a 65-year-old woman. All passengers were Korean, except for two Thai nationals.

Two black boxes – the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder – from Jeju Air Flight 2216 have been found, a transport official said on Sunday, with one of them partially damaged. It will likely take months to determine the exact cause of an accident of this magnitude.

World leaders express condolences

India on Sunday expressed its condolences to the bereaved families of the 179 victims killed in the plane crash. “Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic plane crash that occurred today at Muan Airport. We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family members,” said Amit Kumar, the Indian ambassador to South Korea.

“The Indian Embassy stands in solidarity with the people and government of the Republic of Korea in this difficult hour,” he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also expressed his condolences to the victims. “On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I express my sincere condolences to the victims and my most sincere consolations to the families of the victims, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” he said, quoted by CCTV .

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also expressed his condolences over the incident in the neighboring country. “I am deeply saddened by the painful loss of so many precious lives due to the tragic plane crash,” he said in an official statement.

Two Thai passengers were confirmed killed in the crash by the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra sent condolences to the families of the dead and injured in a message on X, saying she had asked the Foreign Ministry to provide assistance.

Jeju Air apologizes and Boeing issues statement

Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae apologized for the accident, bowing deeply during a televised briefing. He said the plane had no accident record and there were no early signs of a malfunction. The airline will cooperate with investigators and make support for the bereaved its top priority, he added.

It was the first fatal flight for Jeju Air, a budget airline founded in 2005 that is South Korea’s third most popular airline behind Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines. The accident occurred three weeks after Jeju Air began regular flights between Muan and Bangkok.

Meanwhile, Boeing, which has endured a turbulent period in recent years due to a series of embarrassing safety missteps, offered its condolences to the victims’ families and offered support to Jeju Air.

“We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding Flight 2216 and are ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” he said in a statement.

All domestic and international flights at Muan Airport have been canceled.

Dark times for world aviation

South Korea’s deadly plane crash follows Dec. 25 crash landing of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane flight near Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of 67 on board. South Korea’s aviation industry has a strong safety track record, experts say.

It was the worst accident for a South Korean airline since Korean Air’s accident in Guam in 1997, which killed more than 200 people, according to Transportation Ministry data. The worst accident on South Korean soil was that of Air China, which left 129 dead in 2002.

In a separate incident, Canada’s Halifax Airport was temporarily closed Saturday evening after a plane arriving from St. John’s encountered a landing problem, causing it to skid off the runway and partially catch fire.

(with contribution from agencies)

Location :

Seoul, South Korea