At least 179 people have been killed after a Jeju Air flight carrying 181 people crashed during landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, December 29, according to international media reports.
The flight, arriving from Bangkok, Thailand, had 175 passengers and six crew members onboard, reported Al Jazeera , citing South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. The accident happened around 9 am local time (00.00 GMT).
The airport is located about 289 km southwest of Seoul, the country’s capital. The Boeing 737-800 jet, operated by Jeju Air, was manufactured in 2009, reported Reuters, citing South Korea’s transport ministry.
“The National Fire Agency confirmed that 179 people—85 women, 84 men, and 10 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable—have been killed, and two people have been rescued—both crew members,” Al Jazeera reported.
Footage shared on the social media platform X shows the plane skidding off the runway on its belly, hitting a fence, and bursting into flames.
“After the plane collided with the wall, passengers were thrown out of the aircraft. The chances of survival are extremely low,” a firefighting agency official said. “The aircraft has almost completely been destroyed, and it is difficult to identify the deceased.”
A temporary morgue has been set up inside the Muan airport to lay the bodies of the victims.
A large-scale rescue operation was underway immediately after the crash.
Officials believe the landing gear failure, possibly due to a bird strike, may have caused the accident. They began an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok arrived at the crash site around noon, instructing officials to make all-out efforts for search operations. Choi also expressed deep condolences to the bereaved family members and promised to offer them all possible government assistance.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae issued an apology and extended condolences to the family members who lost their loved ones, vowing to provide all necessary support to the victims' families.
“Regardless of the cause, I take full responsibility as the CEO,” Kim said.
The crash is the deadliest involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades. In 1997, a Korean Air crash in Guam had killed more than 200 people, reported Reuters, citing the transportation ministry data.
On Sunday evening, the South Korean government declared seven days of national mourning over the plane crash.
With inputs from Yonhap/RSS
(This news has been updated.)
