The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft lies at Muan International Airport, South Korea (Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)
In the worst aviation disaster involving a South Korean airline in almost three decades, 179 out of 181 passengers were killed. A passenger plane crashed while landing at Muan International Airport in southwest South Korea on Sunday. During landing, the plane went off the runway, hit a wall, and exploded into a fireball as is shown in footage of the accident.
The Boeing 737, operated by South Korea’s Jeju Air, took off from Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, and was landing at the airport in Muan at around 9 a.m. local time when it crashed. Officials are investigating what caused the crash. The recordings from the black boxes – which could be recovered – are being analysed. The apparent malfunction of the landing gear, whether birds struck the engine, and the factoring of bad weather are being investigated. The airport had warned the pilots in their descend of the possibility of a bird strike and the plane issued a mayday alert shortly afterward.[1]
Two of the six crew members could be rescued from the aircraft’s tail section which was the only identifiable piece left of the plane. By Sunday evening, the other people on board had all been confirmed dead. According to the national fire brigade authority, 65 people have been identified. Thailand’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that two Thai citizens were among the dead.
Jeju Air, a low-cost South Korean carrier that flies to many Asian countries, apologized for the crash in a brief statement. The crash appears to have been the first fatal one for the airline.
South Korea’s interims president, Choi Sang-mok, said the country would observe a weeklong period of mourning.[2]
[1] Flugzeugabsturz in Südkorea: Was über das Flugzeugunglück in Südkorea bekannt ist | ZEIT ONLINE
[2] South Korea Plane Crash Kills Dozens at Muan Airport: Live Updates – The New York Times
