SEOUL: A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival on Sunday, hit a barrier and burst into flames, killing all but two flight attendants. were killed
“Of the 179 fatalities, 65 have been identified, with two crew members surviving,” the fire agency said of the crash at Moan International Airport.
South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok announced a state of national mourning until January 4 in an emergency meeting on Sunday evening over the plane crash.
Authorities cited a bird strike and bad weather as possible causes of the crash, which threw passengers out of the plane and “almost completely destroyed it,” according to fire officials.
Video shows the Jeju Air plane from Bangkok landing on its belly at Moan International Airport, skidding off the runway before billowing smoke from the engines, crashing into a wall and bursting into flames.
“Passengers were ejected after the plane hit the wall, leaving little chance of survival,” according to a statement released by the fire brigade. A local fire official told the family in a briefing.
“The plane is almost completely destroyed, and identifying the dead is proving difficult. The process is taking time as we search for the remains,” he was quoted as saying.
An AFP photographer saw the charred wreckage of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 plane on the runway at Moan — about 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul — with firefighters and emergency vehicles working nearby.
The crash occurred during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216 at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, the Land Ministry said, carrying 175 passengers, including two Thai nationals, and six crew members.
“It took about three minutes from the control tower warning of a bird strike to the aircraft trying to land on the runway again,” it said.
He added that two minutes before the crash, the pilot issued a mayday call.
Asked if the crash was caused by the runway being too short — video shows the plane skidding off the tarmac and hitting a wall — the official said that was likely not a factor.
He said that the runway is 2,800 meters long and aircraft of the same size are operating on it without any problem.
“It is unlikely that the accident was caused by the length of the runway.”
Moan Fire Station Chief Lee Jeong-hyun said during a briefing that the cause was “considered to be a bird attack with favorable weather conditions”.
“However, the actual cause will be announced after a joint investigation,” Lee said.
Low-cost carrier Jeju Air apologized and vowed to help as much as possible.
“We sincerely apologize for causing concern,” the airline said in a statement posted on its social media channels.
Boeing said in a statement that it was in contact with Jeju Air and “stands ready to assist them”.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif reacted to the tragic incident and expressed grief over the loss of lives.
“Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic plane crash at Moan International Airport in Korea that resulted in the loss of many precious lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and the government and people of the Republic in this hour of sorrow. of Korea”, said the Prime Minister in a post on X.
Additionally, President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed his condolences to the people and government of South Korea and sympathized with the bereaved families, read a press release issued by the President’s Secretariat.