At least 120 dead in fiery airliner crash in South Korea

Rescue personnel are seen near the tail section of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft after the plane crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Sunday. | YONHAP

Wires
December 29, 2024

SEOUL – A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Bangkok to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, killing at least 120, emergency services said, with a bird strike and adverse weather conditions cited as likely causes.

Two survivors — one crew and one passenger — were plucked from the wreckage as part of an ongoing rescue operation, the national fire agency said in a statement.

Video shared by the local MBC broadcaster showed the Jeju Air plane landing at Muan International Airport's runway, with smoke streaming out from the engines, before the entire aircraft was quickly engulfed in flames.

"The cause of the accident is presumed to be a bird strike combined with adverse weather conditions. However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation," Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, said during a briefing.

Lee Hyeon-ji, a response team officer at the local fire department, had earlier warned that "the tally could rise due to the critically injured."

Rescue authorities were evacuating passengers from the rear section of the jet, Lee said.

In a separate statement, authorities said that passengers had been ejected from the aircraft after it collided with a barrier, "leaving little chance of survival."

A life jacket hangs on fencing next to the wreckage of an aircraft that crashed after it went off the runway at Muan International Airport, in Muan, South Korea, on Sunday. | REUTERS

A photo showed the tail section of the plane — a Boeing 737-8AS according to Flight Radar — engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.

The Muan International Airport is in Muan County, which is about 288 kilometers (179 miles) southwest of Seoul.

The fire agency said it had mobilized 32 fire engines and scores of firefighters to the scene.

The accident took place at 9:03 a.m. on Sunday during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216, the Ministry of Land said.

"A total of 175 passengers — including two Thai nationals — and six crew members were onboard," it said.

The initial fire was extinguished and a search and rescue operations was "underway at the crash site," it said in a statement at around 11 a.m. local.

Low-cost carrier Jeju Air apologized and vowed to do all it could to help.

"We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident. We sincerely apologize for causing concern," the airline said in a statement posted on its social media channels.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok called for the mobilization of all resources to save the passengers.

"All related agencies ... must mobilize all available resources to save the personnel," he instructed officials in a statement.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire after an aircraft crashed on the runaway at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Sunday. | YONHAP

Choi convened an emergency meeting with Cabinet members to discuss rescue operations and response, his office said, adding that the acting president, who took office only on Friday, is on his way to Muan.

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

"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.

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.

Last year, 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 hospitalized.