South Korea’s SEOUL A jet crashed at a South Korean airport on Sunday, leaving two passengers alive and 179 reported dead. The crew and passengers numbered 181.
According to a spokesman for the nation’s National Fire Agency, Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed and exploded into flames after skidding off the runway during its arrival at Muan International Airport.
About 180 miles to the south of Seoul sits the airport.
According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft departed Bangkok just after two in the morning local time (2 in the afternoon Saturday ET). According to Joo Jong-wan, director of the Aviation Policy Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in South Korea, it was transporting 175 passengers and six crew members.
According to Joo, at least two of the passengers were Thai. The majority of the others are thought to be Korean.
According to Joo, the plane was totally destroyed when the pilot issued the bird strike signal and declared mayday.
According to a video confirmed by NBC News, the aircraft skidded along the runway and detonated as it collided with a barrier. A column of black smoke rose into the air as flames consumed the airplane, and the only component that seemed to be undamaged was the tail.
Deadliest airline disaster of the year
This appears to be the first deadly accident since the low-cost airline was established in 2005, and the national fire agency verified that 179 people had died, making it the deadliest airline catastrophe of the year.
As of 3 p.m. Monday local time, 146 bodies have been identified, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.
Anxious families flocked to the airport to await word on their loved ones as the confirmed death toll increased. The names of the verified dead were read out by an announcer with care.
The South Korean news agency Newsis reported that family members let out screams and cries as the identities were verified. Tents were erected by the Red Cross to provide bereaved family members privacy.
A organization led by Park Han-shin, who lost his brother in the collision, was created by the families of the victims. Park stated at a briefing on Monday that Jeju Air must cover all burial expenses and that a memorial chapel had to be erected on the first level of the airport.
Of the deceased, 82 were men and at least 84 were women. Eleven further victims’ genders were not immediately discernible.
In a briefing on Monday, Ministry of Education spokesman Gu Yeon-hee stated that four elementary school kids, three middle school students, and four high school students were among the children who perished in the collision.
According to Gu, one of the victims was a 2021-born preschooler.
According to Joo, two crew members—a man and a woman—were recovered with moderate injuries but were still conscious.
According to Ju Woong, director of Ewha Woman’s University Seoul Hospital, where Lee was transferred, one of them, a 33-year-old flight attendant with the last name Lee, suffered multiple injuries, including traumatic spinal injuries and fractured ribs, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Ju claimed that Lee informed the medics that he was in critical care but was able to converse effectively, and that when I woke up, I had already been saved. According to Ju, there are currently no signs of memory loss or anything like.
The other survivor was sent to Seoul’s Asan Medical Center. She was a 25-year-old lady with the last name Koo. According to reports, Koo remained stable despite having head and ankle injuries.
A bird strike likely set off the disaster
The aviation official, Joo, provided a summary of the circumstances that led up to the catastrophe.
According to him, the pilots first attempted to land on Runway 1 of the airport, but due to a bird strike warning, the control tower told them to land on Runway 19, which is on the opposite side. When a bird and an airplane collide, it’s called a bird strike.
After a bird strike, the pilots attempted to land on Runway 19 and put out a mayday signal a minute later.
According to Joo, the plane slammed into a wall as it was flying over the runway because it neglected to lower its landing gear and hit a localizer, a safety device that offers assistance during landing.
According to a fire department representative, the incident occurred at approximately 9:03 a.m. local time (7:03 p.m. ET Saturday), and firemen extinguished the initial fire at 9:46 a.m. local time.
At a briefing, Joo stated that the jet was totally destroyed by fire and that investigators had recovered the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, both of which will be crucial in shedding light on the final moments of the aircraft.
According to him, the entire probe can take anywhere from six months to three years.
Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration are part of an American team led by the National Transportation Safety Board that will support South Korea’s investigation.
The United States “stands ready to provide any necessary assistance” to Korea, according to a statement made by President Joe Biden.
“As close allies, the American people share deep bonds of friendship with the South Korean people and our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragedy,” he stated.
Witness Lee Geun-Young told the South Korean daily Seoul Shinmun that he heard heavy pounding noises coming from outside his restaurant, which is less than a quarter of a mile from the airport.
As he recounted the final minutes of the doomed airplane, Lee, 49, stated, “The plane flew right over our store instead of heading toward the runway.” Lee claimed to have seen the plane turn around and try to land on the runway.
He claimed that the plane was spinning with a substantially smaller radius. It felt dangerous, so I immediately went up to the rooftop and started filming.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, is a popular narrow-body passenger jet operated by airlines worldwide. It is among Boeing’s safest aircraft and a member of the Next-Generation family.
Boeing said it was in contact with the airline and offered its condolences to the families of the dead. Jeju Air apologized in a message to all those impacted by the incident.
Above all, we offer our heartfelt condolences and apologies to the passengers who tragically lost their lives in the accident and to their bereaved families, CEO Kim E-bae said, assuming full responsibility for this tragedy and adding that the airline would provide support for the families.
South Korea s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, called for immediate and full mobilization efforts to put out the fire and rescue people, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a statement.
An emergency meeting was being held, the presidential office announced in a text briefing.
In a statement, the country s National Defense Ministry said it convened an emergency response team and deployed military personnel and equipment to the site to provide support.
Choi later arrived at the site and declared it a special disaster zone as he expressed condolences to victims and their families and said his government would thoroughly investigate what caused the crash.
Joo said more than 1,500 personnel from multiple agencies were conducting search-and-recovery efforts. The dead were temporarily being kept at a makeshift mortuary set up at the airport, Joo said.
Park, the man who lost his brother and was speaking on behalf of other families, said Monday that more freezing containers were needed to keep the bodies from decomposing amid rising temperatures.
“Also, an important issue is that, although it s winter, the temperature is currently rising significantly,” Park said. “Because of this, there is a risk that the bodies of the deceased family members could decompose rapidly.”
Stella Kim and Beomsu Jo reported from Seoul and Mithil Aggarwal from Hong Kong.
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