Death of 179 passengers of plane that crashed in South Korea is confirmed

• Reports of Deadly Plane Crash in South Korea
• Tragedy in Muan: Plane Crashes and Explodes
• What Went Wrong with the Boeing 737-800?

A tragic plane crash shook South Korea on Sunday when a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed while landing at Muan Airport.

The disaster, one of the deadliest in the country’s history, left a devastating toll of 179 dead among the 181 people on board.

The incident occurred at 9:03 a.m. when the aircraft, coming from Bangkok, failed to deploy its front landing gear and crashed into a concrete wall before catching fire.

Only two crew members survived the crash and are in stable condition.

PLANE CRASH IN SOUTH KOREA LEAVES 179 DEAD

According to South Korea’s Ministry of Transport, among the deceased passengers were 177 South Korean citizens and two Thai nationals.

A total of 179 people — 85 women, 84 men, and 10 people whose gender was not immediately identifiable — died in the fire, firefighters reported.

Additionally, images captured by local media show how the plane, apparently with the landing gear retracted, skidded down the runway at high speed before veering off and exploding.

Lee Jeong-hyeon, head of the Muan fire station, declared that the aircraft was completely destroyed, with the tail assembly being the only thing recognizable among the remains.

Details of the Jeju Air Plane Crash

Firefighters deployed 32 trucks and helicopters to contain the flames, while over 1,500 emergency workers participated in rescue and body identification efforts.

Authorities confirmed that the plane’s black boxes were recovered and will be analyzed to determine the exact cause of the accident, a process that could take months.

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According to preliminary reports, the airport’s control tower had issued a warning about the presence of birds near the runway.

For this reason, they offered the pilot the option to land in another area, but he sent a distress signal just before impact.

Reactions and Measures

BREAKING: Video shows crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in South Korea. 181 people on board pic.twitter.com/9rQUC0Yxt8

— BNO News (@BNONews) December 29, 2024

Jeju Air also issued a statement expressing its «deep apologies» for the tragedy and assured that it would cooperate fully with the investigation.

In a televised conference, the airline’s president, Kim E-bae, took «full responsibility» and stated that no mechanical issues had been detected during the aircraft’s inspections.

South Korea’s acting Prime Minister, Choi Sang-mok, visited the crash site and declared the area a special disaster zone.

Additionally, a national mourning period of one week was declared.

*WITH INFORMATION FROM AP.

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