Health

UPDATED: South Korean airplane crash death toll jumps to 177, 2 missing, 2 rescued

As said by a firefighting agency official cited by Yonhap, "After the plane collided with the wall, passengers were thrown out of the aircraft. The chances of survival are extremely low."

World Airplane Crash Jeju Air South Korea

Dec. 29, 2024

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - According to the South Korean News Agency Yonhap, at least 177 people lost their lives when a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in southwestern South Korea on Sunday morning.

According to the reports, two persons are still missing and two survivors have been rescued from the devastating accident. 

Yonhap reports that the incident occurred at 9:07 a.m. local time when the Boeing 737-800, carrying 181 passengers and crew members, deviated from the runway during landing and crashed with a fence wall at the airport.

The news agency quoted firefighting authorities who stated that rescue operations rapidly transitioned to body recovery efforts, with 122 deaths confirmed as of 2:47 p.m. local time.

However, as of Sunday evening, Yonhap cited government authorities confirming that 177 people had died as a result of the crash. At least two crew members had been rescued from the aircraft’s tail section with two others classified as missing.

As said by a firefighting agency official cited by Yonhap, "After the plane collided with the wall, passengers were thrown out of the aircraft. The chances of survival are extremely low."

The flight, which had departed from Bangkok, was carrying mainly South Korean passengers, with two Thai nationals among those aboard.

The two survivors, both crew members and women, were transferred to a hospital in Mokpo with non-life-threatening injuries.

Video footage of the incident reveals the aircraft attempted to land without deployed landing gear.

The speculations are that a possible bird strike may have caused the landing gear failure; however, investigations are continuing to reveal the exact cause of the crash.

The South Korean news agency reported that Acting President Choi Sang-mok has declared Muan County a special disaster zone.

During his visit to the crash site, Choi promised full government support to the bereaved families and ordered maximum efforts for search operations.

In response to the tragedy, Yonhap reports that Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae issued an apology to the victims' families, stating, "Regardless of the cause, I take full responsibility as the CEO."

A temporary morgue has been established at Muan Airport as authorities work to identify the deceased.

 

Updated: Sunday Dec. 29, 2024, 02:15 PM