A deadly plane crash at Muan International Airport on Sunday morning has left 179 dead, news agency Associated Press🌱 said, after a Jeju Air passenger plane caught fire following a runway skid, South-Korean news portal Yonhap reported quoting firefighters. The crash, one of South Korea's deadliest aviation disasters, occurred when the aircraft’s front landing gear failed to deploy, causing it to slam into a concrete barrier.
🍎As per the South Korean National Fire Agency, a total of 179 people — 85 women, 84 men and 10 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable — died in the fire.
༒The accident took place at approximately 9:03 am local time, with the plane carrying 181 passengers and crew members on board. The flight, originating from Bangkok, Thailand, had been returning to South Korea when the disaster struck.
ꦓAccording to the fire agency the fire was nearly extinguished by late Sunday afternoon, but emergency responders were still working to remove passengers and crew from the burning wreckage.
💃The flight crew and emergency teams managed to pull two survivors from the plane: one passenger and one crew member, Yonhap reported.
🎃In response, authorities deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to tackle the flames and support rescue operations.
ꦗLee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly still recognisable in the wreckage. Officials were investigating the cause of the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds, Lee said.
Plane’s landing gear malfunction leads to crash
𝕴Footage of the incident aired by South Korean television network YTN showed the Jeju Air aircraft skidding across the runway, with its landing gear apparently still retracted. The plane then collided head-on with a concrete barrier on the outskirts of Muan International Airport, located about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Seoul.
ℱThick plumes of black smoke could be seen rising from the crash site as the aircraft became engulfed in flames. Firefighters and rescue teams worked tirelessly in difficult conditions to contain the fire and assist survivors.
꧒Emergency officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, with early reports suggesting a malfunction of the plane's landing gear.
✤South Korea's Ministry of Transport confirmed that the aircraft had been returning from Bangkok, and that among the passengers were two Thai nationals.
ꦿSenior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan said workers retrieved the jet's flight data and cockpit voice recorders. He said it may take months for investigators to complete their probe. The runway at the Muan airport will be closed until January 1, the ministry said.
🌳Kyle Bailey, former FAA safety team representative in the US, told Fox News that it appeared to him that the aircraft was travelling too fast as it skidded on the the runway before striking what he believed was a structure that housed instrument landing equipment.
🍸“I think that's pretty much what spelled disaster for that airplane,” he said.
💯One of the survivors was being treated for fractures to his ribs, shoulder blade and upper spine, said Ju Woong, director of the Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital. Ju said the man, whose name was not released, told doctors he “woke up to find (himself) rescued.” Details on the other survivor were not immediately available.
ಌThe passengers were predominantly South Korean and included two people from Thailand. Officials identified 88 of them in the hours after the crash, the fire agency said.
ღThailand's prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed condolences to the families of those aboard the plane in a post on X. Paetongtarn said she ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance.
🍰Boonchuay Duangmanee, the father of a Thai passenger, told The Associated Press that his daughter, Jongluk, had been working in a factory in South Korea for several years and returned to Thailand to visit her family.
ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ"I never thought that this would be the last time we would see each other forever,” he said.
💜Kerati Kijmanawat, the director of Thailand's airports, confirmed in a statement that Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport with no reports of anything abnormal aboard the aircraft or on the runway.
⛎Jeju Air in a statement expressed its “deep apology” over the crash and said it will do its “utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident.”
♈In a televised news conference, the company's president, Kim E-bae, bowed deeply with other senior company officials as he apologised to bereaved families and said he feels “full responsibility” for the crash. Kim said the company had not identified any mechanical problems with the aircraft following regular checkups and that he would wait for the results of government investigations into the cause of the incident.
💝Family members wailed as officials announced the names of some victims at a lounge in the Muan airport.
🐭Boeing said in a statement on X that it was in contact with Jeju Air and was ready to support the company in dealing with the crash.
South Korea’s worst air disaster since 1997
♛The crash marks one of the deadliest aviation incidents in South Korean history. The last major air disaster in the country occurred in 1997 when a Korean Air flight crashed in Guam, killing 228 people aboard. The Muan crash is expected to rank as one of the worst tragedies in the nation's aviation history.
𒁏The disaster comes at a time of political unrest in South Korea after a huge political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol's stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. Last Friday, South Korean lawmakers lawmakers impeached acting President Han Duck-soo last Friday and suspended his duties, making Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok to take over.
ꦗIn response to the tragedy, now-Acting President Choi, now acting president, ordered a full mobilization of resources for the rescue efforts. President Yoon's office confirmed that his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, would oversee an emergency meeting to coordinate the national response to the crash. Yoon's office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, will preside over an emergency meeting between senior presidential staff later on Sunday to discuss the crash.
With inputs from AP.
