A Jeju Air plane, carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea, crashed on arrival, yesterday, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard, except for two flight attendants plucked from the wreckage.
A bird strike was cited by authorities as the likely cause of the crash — the worst ever aviation disaster on South Korean soil — which flung passengers out of the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed”, according to fire officials.
Video showed the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 landing on its belly at Muan International Airport, skidding off the runway as smoke streamed out from the engines, before crashing into a wall and exploding in flames.
“Of the 179 dead, 65 have been identified,” the country’s fire agency said, adding that DNA retrieval had begun.
Meanwhile, world leaders and others have been sending condolences to South Korea yesterday after the country suffered its deadliest aeroplane crash, with 179 people killed when their aircraft went up in flames.
Only two people survived when the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 plane skidded off the runway and slammed into a wall at Muan International Airport.
As relatives of those on board gathered at the airport in grief, leaders expressed their sympathy.
China ‘shocked’
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “shocked” to learn of the crash, in a message to South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok.
“I express our deep condolences to the victims, sincere sympathy for the victims’ families, and wish those injured a speedy recovery,” he said, quoted by China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
EU ‘heartbroken’
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was “heartbroken to see images of the plane crash in Muan”.
“As your partner, Europe stands with you in this time of grief,” the European Commission president said.
Pope offers prayers
Pope Francis, who visited South Korea a decade ago, told worshippers at the Vatican that he joins “in prayer for the survivors and the dead”. My thoughts are with the many families in South Korea who are mourning today following the dramatic plane crash,” Francis said.
France mourns ‘terrible toll’
France’s foreign ministry said that Paris learnt “with great emotion the terrible toll” and sends condolences to the affected families
Germany sees ‘incredible loss’
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the crash is “yet another blow to the nation’s heart” after “a difficult period” — alluding to weeks of political turmoil in Seoul.
“This is an incredible loss and pain” for the friends and families of those killed, Steinmeier said
Greece ‘profoundly saddened’
“Profoundly saddened by the tragic incident”, Greece’s foreign affairs ministry said on X, sending condolences “during this difficult time”.
Iran sends condolences
Tehran expressed its “condolences and sympathy to the government and people of the Republic of Korea and Thailand”, the departure point of the plane which had two Thai nationals on board.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei addressed “the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery for the injured of this tragic incident”.
IATA ‘shocked’, ‘saddened’
“We are shocked and saddened by the accident involving Jeju Air flight 7C2216. Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and crew on the flight and their loved ones,” the International Air Transport Association, which represents some 340 airlines that comprise 80 percent of air traffic, said in a statement.
Serbia ‘disbelief’
“As we watch with disbelief the horrific scenes from the crash site, our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives,” President Aleksandar Vucic wrote on X, adding that he was “deeply shaken”.
Spain ‘profoundly shocked’
Spain’s foreign ministry said that Madrid was “profoundly shocked by the terrible accident”, sending condolences and “all our solidarity” to those affected.
Turkey ‘deeply saddened’
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic plane crash that occurred at Muan International Airport in our friend, the Republic of Korea,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a post on X.
Tearful families storm airport
Inside the airport terminal, tearful family members gathered to wait for news.
An official began calling out the names of the 65 victims who had been identified, with each name triggering fresh cries of grief from waiting relatives.
Only two people — both flight attendants — were rescued from the crash, the fire department said.
“Passengers were ejected from the aircraft after it collided with the wall, leaving little chance of survival,” a local fire official told families at a briefing, according to a statement released by the fire brigade.
Both black boxes — the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder — have been found, deputy transport minister Joo Jong-wan said at a briefing.
Under floodlights, rescue workers used a giant yellow crane to lift the burned-out fuselage of the orange-and-white aircraft on the runway at Muan — some 288 kilometres (about 180 miles) southwest of Seoul.
Bits of plane seats and luggage were strewn across the field next to the runway, not far from the charred tail, offering a glimpse into the catastrophic impact of the crash.
National Mourning
Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said it “sincerely” apologised — with top officials shown bowing deeply at a press conference in Seoul — and vowed to do all it could to help.
Boeing said in a statement that it was in touch with Jeju Air and stood “ready to support them”.
South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok, who only took office Friday, convened an emergency cabinet meeting and then visited the crash site at Muan.
The country declared a seven day national mourning period effective from Sunday, with memorial altars to be set up nationwide.
It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost carriers, set up in 2005.
On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Jeju Air carrying 74 passengers came off the runway due to strong winds at the southern Busan-Gimhae airport, resulting in a dozen injuries.
South Korea’s aviation industry has a solid track record for safety, experts say.
A number of fatal aviation accidents have occurred globally due to bird strikes, which can cause a loss of power if the animals are sucked into the air intakes.
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