A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two feared dead. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

Firefighters and rescue personnel carry the body of a victim near the scene where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, some 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul on December 29, 2024. - A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two feared dead. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

Jeju Air

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1735481832474AFP__20241229__36RQ49F__v2__Preview__SkoeraAviationAccident.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Firefighters and rescue personnel carry the body of a victim near the scene where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, some 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul on December 29, 2024. Jung Yeon-je, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Firefighters and rescue personnel carry the body of a victim near the scene where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, some 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul on December 29, 2024. <em>Jung Yeon-je, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>MUAN, South Korea -- A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard except for two flight attendants plucked from the wreckage.</p><p>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 &quot;almost completely destroyed&quot;, according to fire officials.</p><p>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.</p><p>&quot;Of the 179 dead, 65 have been identified,&quot; the country&#x27;s fire agency said, adding that DNA retrieval had begun.</p><p>Inside the airport terminal, tearful family members gathered to wait for news.</p><p>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.</p><p>Only two people -- both flight attendants -- were rescued from the crash, the fire department said.</p><p>&quot;Passengers were ejected from the aircraft after it collided with the wall, leaving little chance of survival,&quot; a local fire official told families at a briefing, according to a statement released by the fire brigade.</p><p>&quot;The plane is almost completely destroyed,&quot; he was quoted as saying.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/29/what-we-know-about-jeju-air-plane-crash-in-south-korea-1635">READ: What we know about Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/29/flight-tracker-shows-route-of-crashed-jeju-air-plane-from-bangkok-1609">WATCH: Flight tracker shows route of crashed Jeju Air plane from Bangkok</a></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Mayday&#x27; -</strong></div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABSY30NOeRiLuud4&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script><p>All of the passengers were Korean apart from two Thais, with the youngest a three-year-old boy and the oldest a 78-year-old, authorities said.</p><p>&quot;I had a son on board that plane,&quot; an elderly man waiting in the airport lounge, who asked not to be named, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;My younger sister went to heaven today,&quot; a 65-year-old woman, who gave only her surname Jo, told AFP.</p><p>The accident took place in a matter of minutes as Jeju Air Flight 2216 tried to land -- with the control tower issuing a warning of a bird strike, and the pilot soon after calling &quot;mayday&quot;.</p><p>&quot;It took approximately three minutes from the control tower&#x27;s mention of a bird strike warning to the aircraft&#x27;s attempt to land on the runway again,&quot; an official said.</p><p>Video shows the plane coming off the tarmac and hitting a wall, but officials dismissed speculation that the length of the runway was a factor in the crash.</p><p>Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, said the cause was &quot;presumed to be a bird strike&quot; but that the exact details would be announced after a full investigation.</p><p>Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said it &quot;sincerely&quot; apologised -- with top officials shown bowing deeply at a press conference in Seoul -- and vowed to do all it could to help.</p><p>Boeing said in a statement that it was in touch with Jeju Air and stood &quot;ready to support them&quot;.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/29/pope-prays-for-victims-of-dramatic-plane-crash-in-s-korea-2142">READ: Pope prays for victims of &#x27;dramatic&#x27; plane crash in S. Korea</a></div><div><strong>- Engulfed in flames -</strong></div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABSXmqxxmnrODOPd&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script><p>South Korea&#x27;s acting President Choi Sang-mok, who only took office Friday, convened an emergency cabinet meeting and then visited the crash site at Muan.</p><p>&quot;The entire government is working closely together to manage the aftermath of the accident... making every effort to ensure thorough support for the bereaved families,&quot; he said.</p><p>The country declared a seven day national mourning period effective from Sunday, with memorial altars to be set up nationwide.</p><p>It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of South Korea&#x27;s largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005.</p><p>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.</p><p>South Korea&#x27;s aviation industry has a solid track record for safety, experts say.</p><p>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.</p><p>In 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 famously landed in New York&#x27;s Hudson River after bird strikes on both of its engines, in an incident widely known as the &quot;Miracle on the Hudson&quot; because there was no loss of life.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard except for two flight attendants plucked from the wreckage.</p>

A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard except for two flight attendants plucked from the wreckage.

179 dead in South Korea's worst plane crash | ABS-CBN

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Sports

More

World

179 dead in South Korea's worst plane crash

179 dead in South Korea's worst plane crash

Agence France-Presse,

Kang Jin-kyu with Hieun Shin in Seoul

Published Dec 29, 2024 10:59 PM PHT

|

Updated Dec 30, 2024 12:47 AM PHT

Read More:

absnews

anc promo

Jeju Air

plane crash

South Korea

Muan International Airport

Boeing

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2024 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Advertise with Us

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

© 2024 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.