Jeju Air plane crashes upon landing in South Korea, 179 on board confirmed dead

SEOUL - A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival on Dec 29, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two dead, reported AFP.

South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok has declared a seven-day national mourning period until Jan 4, following an emergency meeting.

A bird strike

and adverse weather conditions were cited by the authorities as likely causes of the crash that flung passengers out of the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed”, according to fire officials.

A video showed the Jeju Air plane from Bangkok 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.

“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.

“The plane is almost completely destroyed, and identifying the deceased is proving difficult. The process is taking time as we locate and recover the remains,” he was quoted as saying.

In a statement late on Dec 29, a spokesperson for Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is in touch with the Korean authorities and that there were no reports of Singaporeans on the flight.

“We convey our deepest condolences to the government of the Republic of Korea and to the families and loved ones of those that have perished. We wish the survivors a full recovery,” the spokesperson said.

Only two people were rescued, both flight attendants, and more than 174 people were confirmed dead by late afternoon, the fire department said in a statement.

The two crew members, with medium to severe injuries, were being treated at hospitals, said the head of the local public health centre.

An AFP photographer saw the burnt-out wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the runway at Muan – some 288km south-west of Seoul – as firefighters and emergency vehicles worked nearby.

Mortuary vehicles lined up outside to take bodies away, and the authorities said a temporary morgue had been established.

The crash site smelled of aviation fuel and blood, according to Reuters witnesses, and workers in protective suits and masks combed the area while soldiers searched through bushes.

Mayday call issued

The accident took place in a matter of minutes at around 9am local time (8am Singapore time), during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. The plane had 175 passengers, including two Thai nationals, and six crew members on board.

The airport’s control tower had warned the flight of a bird strike at 8.57am, and the pilots issued a Mayday call two minutes later, the ministry added.

The plane landed on its belly at 9am and crashed into a wall three minutes later.

The authorities said they have retrieved both the flight data recorder, which contains the vital statistics and performance metrics of a flight, and the voice recorder, which tapes conversations and sounds in the cockpit.

Low-cost carrier Jeju Air apologised and vowed to do all it could to help. “We sincerely apologise for causing concern,” the airline said in a statement posted on its social media channels.

Boeing said in a statement that it was in touch with Jeju Air and stood “ready to support them”.

‘Not monkeys in a zoo’

Hours after the crash, family members gathered in the airport’s arrival area, some crying and hugging as Red Cross volunteers handed out blankets. Papers were circulated for families to write down their contact details.

One relative stood at a microphone to ask for more information from the authorities. “My older brother died and I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “I don’t know.”

Another asked journalists not to film them. “We are not monkeys in a zoo,” he said. “We are the bereaved families.”

Two Thai women, aged 22 and 45, were on the plane, a Thai government spokesman said.

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.

The ministry said in a statement that it had informed the relatives of the two Thai nationals about their deaths after receiving confirmation from the South Korean authorities. Arrangements are being made for the relatives to travel from Thailand to South Korea.

Acting president orders all-out rescue effort

Acting President Choi, who took office only on Dec 27, convened an emergency meeting with Cabinet members to discuss rescue operations and response before heading to Muan, his office said.

“I believe no words of consolation would suffice for the bereaved families who have suffered this tragedy,” Mr Choi said.

“The entire government is working closely together to manage the aftermath of the accident, dedicating all available resources while making every effort to ensure thorough support for the bereaved families,” he added.

South Korean aviation industry has solid track record: Experts

It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005.

On Aug 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.

In 2023, a passenger

opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight

as it was preparing to land, with the aircraft landing safely but several people hospitalised.

The Dec 29 fatal crash took place just days after

a Dec 25 crash involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane

that killed dozens. REUTERS, AFP, BLOOMBERG