179 Dead, 2 Survivors In South Korea's Worst-Ever Aviation Disaster: Here's What You Need To Know

Last Updated:December 29, 2024, 19:44 IST

Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 crashed into a wall at South Korea's Muan Airport, killing 179 out of 181 passengers aboard. This is the worst aviation disaster in the country since 1997.

An excavator is used to lift burnt chairs from the wreckage of an aircraft that crashed after it went off the runway at Muan Airport. (Reuters)

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

Rescue operations have officially concluded as all passengers were confirmed dead and only two out of the six crew members managed to survive the fatal crash of the Boeing 737-800 plane. The crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 marks the deadliest ever incident in South Korea since a 1997 Korean Air Lines crash killed over 200 people.

The flight attempted a crash landing after it suffered a malfunction in its landing gear. Horrifying visuals showed the twin-engine aircraft crashing into the wall at the outer edge of the airport, erupting into a fireball followed by large plumes of black smoke.

South Korea’s new Acting President Choi Sang-mok has announced a seven-day national mourning period following the crash. “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 the bereaved families and medical treatment for the injured," he stated.

Bird Strike Or Mechanical Glitch?

Various possible reasons for the crash have emerged, with initial investigations pointing to airframe failure following a “bird strike". Fire officials said the bird strike flung passengers out of the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed".

According to Yonhap, the Jeju Air passenger jet took approached Muan Airport at around 8:54 am (local time) and declared mayday at 8:58 am just one minute after the control tower issued a bird strike warning, while attempting to crash land in the opposite direction of the runway at 9 am.

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

Aviation experts largely agreed that the inoperable landing gear was a direct cause of the crash. “An airplane has multiple brakes, and if the landing gear doesn’t work, the reverse-propelled engines lift the wing flaps, which act as airbrakes. But they didn’t seem to have worked in this case," said professor Choi Kee-young from Inha University.

Crash Site Smelled Of ‘Fuel And Blood’

Rescue workers used a giant yellow crane to lift the burned-out fuselage of the orange-and-white aircraft on the runway at Muan. Bits of plane seats and luggage were strewn across the field next to the runway, offering a grim sight of the catastrophic impact of the crash.

Lee Jeong-hyun, the chief of Muan Fire Department, said only the tail part retained a bit of shape after the crash, while the rest of the fuselage was “almost impossible to recognise". The two surviving crew members were hospitalised while mortuary vehicles lined up to take the bodies away.

Witnesses told Reuters that the crash site smelled of “aviation fuel and blood" as workers in protective suits and masks probed the area while the military was looking for bodies. A temporary morgue was set up in the area.

Plane Crash Triggers Outpouring Of Grief From Families

South Korea’s fire agency said 65 out of the 179 deceased victims had been identified. As the names of the victims were announced by Muan fire chief Lee inside the airport terminal, each name triggered fresh cries of grief as relatives screamed and wept.

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

“Is there no possibility of survival at all?" asked another grieving family member. “Regrettably, it appears so," said Lee with his head bowed. Some people demanded they be allowed to visit the site of the crash so that they could identify their family members.

“I had a son on board that plane," an elderly man waiting in the airport lounge, who asked not to be named, told AFP. “My younger sister went to heaven today," a 65-year-old woman said. All of the passengers were Korean apart from two Thai nationals.

Two black boxes – the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder — for Jeju Air flight 2216 have been found, a transport official said Sunday, with one in a partially damaged condition. It is expected to take months to determine the exact cause of the crash of this magnitude.

World Leaders Express Condolences

India on Sunday expressed its condolences with the bereaved families of the 179 victims who were killed in the plane crash. “Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic plane crash at Muan airport today. We extend our heartfelt condolences to bereaved family members," said Amit Kumar, the Indian Ambassador to South Korea.

“The Indian Embassy stands in solidarity with the people & government of RoK 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 deep condolences to the victims and my sincerest consolations to the victims’ families, and wish for the swift recovery of the injured," he was quoted by state-run CCTV as saying.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also expressed his condolences over the incident ion the neighbouring country. “I am deeply saddened by the painful loss of so many precious lives due to the tragic airliner accident," 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 post on X, saying she had instructed the foreign ministry to provide assistance.

Jeju Air Apologises, Boeing Issues Statement

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

This was the first fatal flight for Jeju Air, a low-cost 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 started regular flights from Muan to Bangkok.

Meanwhile, Boeing, which has seen a turbulent time in the last few years due to a series of embarrassing safety missteps, extended its condolences to the families of victims and offered support to Jeju Air.

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

All domestic and international flights at Muan airport were cancelled.

Grim Period For Global Aviation

The fatal plane crash in South Korea follows the December 25 crash-landing of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight near Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 on board. South Korea’s aviation industry has a solid track record for safety, according to experts.

The crash was the worst for any South Korean airline since a 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam that killed more than 200 people, according to transportation ministry data. The previous worst accident on South Korean soil was an Air China crash that killed 129 in 2002.

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

(with inputs from agencies)

Seoul, South Korea

News world 179 Dead, 2 Survivors In South Korea's Worst-Ever Aviation Disaster: Here's What You Need To Know