Death toll rises to 151, flight recorder recovered: What we know so far in South Korea deadly plane crash
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Dec 29, 2024, 1:55 PM ISTThe National Fire Agency updated the death toll figure to 151. Of those, 71 are identified as male and 71 female. The sex of 9 people who died is yet to be confirmed.
A Jeju Air flight carrying 181 people burst into flames after crashing at South Korea's Muan International Airport on Sunday. According to authorities, all but two individuals onboard may have died in the crash, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in South Korean history.
The incident occurred at 9:07 am local time, when the flight from Bangkok to Muan veered off the runway and collided with a fence at the airport, located approximately 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul. Onboard were 175 passengers and six crew members, most of them South Korean nationals, along with two Thai citizens.
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“There were 175 passengers and six crew members aboard the plane,” Yonhap reported, adding that 173 passengers were South Koreans and two were Thai nationals.
"Passengers were ejected from the aircraft after it collided with the barrier, leaving little chance of survival," a local fire official said at a press briefing.
The National Fire Agency updated the death toll figure to 151. Of those, 71 are identified as male and 71 female. The sex of 9 people who died is yet to be confirmed.
Two flight crew were rescued from the wreckage and taken to hospital.
Flight recorder recovered from plane crash site
The flight recorder from the plane has been recovered, according to an official from South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation (Molit), BBC reported.
The exact cause of the crash is still being investigated - but fire officials say they were working on the presumption that a bird strike and bad weather had an impact.
During a briefing, a Molit official said the plane's voice recorder has yet to be located.
What we know so far
- The fire department is presuming the bird strike and the bad weather is the cause of the crash but the exact cause is being investigated, Lee Jeong-hyun, the chief of Muan fire department says in a televised briefing. The tail section of the plane appears intact but "one cannot recognise the shape of the rest of the plane", Lee says.
- Over 1,500 emergency personnel have been deployed for the recovery effort, including 490 fire employees and 455 police officers.
- All domestic and international flights from Muan International Airport have been cancelled, according to Yonhap news agency. The airport's departure and arrival board on its website shows nearly all flights cancelled.
- Giving an update on the two survivors of the crash. South Korea's National Fire Agency says the two survivors - a man and a woman - are both flight crew found in the tail side of the aircraft after the crash. They were rushed to hospital for treatment. The Yonhap news agency reports they are both flight attendants.
- Acting President Choi Sang-mok has declared a special disaster zone in Muan. This makes central government funding available to local government and victims.
“We have a grave situation where a great loss of life occurred after a plane went off the runway in Muan airport this morning," Choi says, according to presidential office statement.
"I express my deepest condolences to the many victims in the incident. I will do all I can for the injured to quickly recover. I give my condolences to the victims and give my sincere regards to the bereaved families."
Jeju air issues 'apology statement'
Jeju Air issued a statement offering its “deep apology” for the tragedy and pledged to do its “utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident.” The CEO of airline Jeju Air has publicly apologised to the victims of the crash.
In a short media briefing, Kim E-bae and other company bosses lowered their heads. He said supporting the bereaved was their top priority for now.
Earlier the airline changed its website to black and published an apology online.
Jeju Air, founded in 2005, is one of South Korea’s leading low-cost carriers with a spotless safety track record. Its only other notable accident occurred in 2007 when a Bombardier Q400 veered off the runway due to strong winds at Busan-Gimhae Airport, resulting in a dozen injuries but no fatalities.
Deadliest plane crash ever in South Korea?
This is likely going to be the deadliest airplane crash on South Korean soil. Until today, the worst airplane related disaster in Korea was the 2002 Air China crash which killed 129 people.
Last time a South Korean airline had a fatal crash was 11 years ago.
In 2013, three people were killed when Asiana Airlines flight crashed while landing in San Francisco International Airport.
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