Jeju Air disaster: Tragedy strikes with 124 dead in South Korea
In the crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 in South Korea, at least 124 people lost their lives. There were 181 passengers and crew members on board. According to unofficial reports, only two people survived. The number of victims may still rise.
On Sunday, December 29, at Muan Airport in South Korea, one of the most tragic aviation disasters in the country's history occurred. A Jeju Air plane, carrying 181 people, crashed during a landing attempt.
According to reports from the Polish Press Agency, the cause of the accident was a landing gear failure, reportedly caused by the aircraft colliding with birds. The crew attempted an emergency landing on the fuselage, but the maneuver ended in failure. The plane hit a concrete fence surrounding the airport and immediately burst into flames.
Plane crash in South Korea: Did two people survive?
The plane was carrying 175 passengers, including 173 South Korean citizens and two citizens of Thailand, as well as a six-member crew. According to "Fakt," initial reports indicated 28 fatalities, but the number quickly rose.
The National Fire Agency stated that so far 124 bodies have been recovered from the crash. Among them are 54 men and 57 women. In the case of 13 bodies, the gender of the victims could not be determined.
According to rescue services, all the remaining passengers and crew members most likely also perished. Unofficial information that appeared on social media indicates that only two women reportedly survived the crash — a flight attendant and one of the passengers, whose identity has not been established yet.
The President appeared in Muan
The South Korean Ministry of Transport reported that rescuers are searching the crash site for black boxes, which record flight data. The priority, however, remains finding all the victims.
As reported by the BBC, 1,562 people have been involved in the rescue operations so far, including 490 firefighters and 455 police officers. Rescue personnel are also responsible for identifying the victims and designating the locations where bodies were found.
Choi Sang-mok appeared at the crash site, who has been acting as the president of South Korea for two days. According to CNN, his presence was intended to show support for the families of the victims and to emphasize the government's commitment to investigating the causes of the tragedy and organizing rescue operations.
The recording shows the moment of the tragedy
Photos from the crash site, published by South Korean media, show firefighters and rescue services working at the wreckage of the plane, which belonged to Jeju Air. A video showing the moment of the tragedy also appeared on the internet. The footage shows the plane exploding and turning into a fireball.
The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Bangkok to South Korea and attempted to land at Muan International Airport, located in South Jeolla Province, about 300 kilometres south of Seoul.
