Plane crashes and bursts into flames while landing in South Korea, killing 179

A passenger plane skidded off the runway at a South Korean airport, crashed into a concrete fence, and caught fire. Preliminary findings suggest the front landing gear failed to deploy correctly. This air disaster resulted in the deaths of all but two of the 181 people on board, making it one of the most severe aviation tragedies in the country in recent years.

The Jeju Air plane crashed while landing in Muan, about 290 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday. The South Korean Ministry of Transport stated that the aircraft was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800, which had taken off from Bangkok. The accident occurred at 9:03 am (11:03 am AEST).

According to the South Korean fire department, the accident resulted in 179 fatalities, including 85 women, 84 men, and 10 individuals of undetermined gender. Rescue personnel successfully extracted two crew members, who health officials reported were conscious and not in life-threatening condition. As of late Sunday, 177 bodies had been recovered, with 88 identified. The majority of the passengers were South Korean, with two Thai nationals also on board.

One survivor was transported to Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital for treatment. The hospital's director, Joo Woong, stated that the man was in intensive care with fractures to his ribs, shoulder blade, and upper spine. Joo Woong mentioned that the unnamed man told doctors he "woke up to find himself being rescued."

The fire department deployed 32 fire trucks and multiple helicopters to extinguish the blaze. Approximately 1,570 firefighters, police officers, soldiers, and other officials were dispatched to the scene, according to the fire department and the Ministry of Transport. Footage of the accident broadcast by South Korean television showed the plane skidding at high speed on the runway with its landing gear seemingly still retracted, before veering off the runway and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the airport's perimeter, triggering an explosion.

Footage from other local television stations depicted the plane engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke billowing from it. Lee Jung-hyun, chief of the Muan fire station, stated in a televised briefing that the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail section recognizable among the wreckage. Lee stated that authorities were investigating the cause of the accident, including whether a bird strike caused a mechanical malfunction.

Senior Ministry of Transport official Joo Jong-wan told reporters that government investigators had arrived at the scene to investigate the cause of the accident. Emergency officials in Muan stated they were investigating the cause of the fire. Ministry of Transport officials later stated that their initial assessment of communication records showed that the airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it was due to land and allowed the pilots to land in a different area.

Officials stated that the pilots issued a distress signal before the plane careened off the end of the runway, skidded across a buffer zone, and crashed into the wall. Jeju Air President Kim Eui-bae bowed deeply in apology to the families of the victims during a televised news conference, stating that he bore “full responsibility” for the incident. Kim stated that the company had not found any mechanical issues with the aircraft after regular inspections and that he would await the government’s investigation into the cause of the accident.

This is one of the deadliest disasters in South Korean aviation history. The last major air disaster in South Korea occurred in 1997, when a Korean Air plane crashed in Guam, killing all 228 people on board. In 2013, an Asiana Airlines plane crash-landed in San Francisco, killing three people and injuring about 200. According to the Flight Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving aviation safety, Sunday’s accident was also one of the worst landing accidents since July 2007, when an Airbus A320 skidded off a wet runway in Sao Paulo and crashed into a nearby building, killing all 187 people on board and 12 on the ground.

In 2010, an Air India Express plane overran the runway in Mangalore, India, before plunging into a ravine and catching fire, resulting in 158 fatalities. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her deepest condolences to the families affected by the accident via social media platform X. Paetongtarn stated that she had instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide immediate assistance. It is believed that there were no Australians on board.

A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated, "Australians will be shocked by the crash of Jeju Air flight 7C2216 at Muan International Airport in South Korea today." "It is known that there were no Australians on board." "Australians requiring urgent consular assistance should contact the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (within Australia) and +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas)."

The incident occurs amidst a significant political crisis in South Korea, stemming from President Yoon Suk-yeol's sudden imposition of martial law and subsequent impeachment. Last Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached acting President Han Duck-soo and suspended him from his position, resulting in Deputy Prime Minister Choe Sang-mok assuming the role. According to Yonhap News Agency, Choe Sang-mok has ordered officials to utilize all available resources to rescue passengers and crew. Yoon Suk-yeol's office stated that his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, would chair an emergency meeting among senior presidential staff later on Sunday to discuss the crash.