A plane carrying 181 passengers crashed at a South Korean airport, leaving at least 177 dead, according to fire authorities.
Videos by Suggest
The tragic aviation disaster unfolded on Sunday when a passenger plane skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport and crashed into a concrete fence after its front landing gear reportedly failed to deploy, per The Associated Press. The aircraft erupted into flames. It resulted in the loss of most of the 181 passengers on board, marking one of the deadliest air accidents in the country’s history.
A harrowing video captured the moment of impact, the plane erupting with flames.
At least 177 people were killed in the deadliest air accident ever in South Korea, when an airliner belly-landed and veered off the runway, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at Muan International Airport. Follow live updates here: https://t.co/GI2eFyd7Xa pic.twitter.com/KfC6pcKOxx
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2024
The Jeju Air passenger plane crashed during its landing in Muan, a town located approximately 180 south of Seoul. According to the Transport Ministry, the aircraft was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800, returning from Bangkok. The incident occurred at 9:03 a.m.
At least 177 people died in the fire, according to the South Korean fire agency. This includes 84 women, 82 men, and 11 others whose genders could not be identified immediately. Emergency workers rescued two crew members who are conscious and not in critical condition, health officials said.
Nine hours after the incident, two people were still unaccounted for. Of the 177 bodies recovered, officials have identified 57 so far, according to the fire agency. Most of the passengers were South Korean, along with two Thai nationals.
The fire agency sent 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to control the raging fire. Around 1,570 firefighters, police officers, soldiers, and officials were also dispatched, according to the fire agency and transport ministry.
An Investigation is Underway to Determine the Cause of South Korean Plane Crash
Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan Fire Station, announced during a televised briefing that the plane had been completely destroyed. Only the tail assembly was identifiable amidst the wreckage. He stated that investigators were exploring multiple potential causes of the crash, including the possibility that the aircraft may have collided with birds.
Transport Ministry officials reported that the airport control tower warned the plane of a bird strike and authorized it to land in a different area. However, the pilot sent a distress signal before the plane overshot the runway, skidded through a buffer zone, and hit a wall.
Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan announced that workers have recovered the plane’s black box, which includes flight data and cockpit voice recordings. Government experts will analyze the black box to investigate the crash and fire, a process that could take months. The ministry also stated that the Muan airport runway will stay closed until January 1.