South Korea is in mourning as the nation grapples with one of its most devastating aviation disasters. Acting President Choi Sang-mok has announced a week-long national mourning period following the tragic crash of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport. The incident, which occurred on Sunday morning, resulted in the loss of 179 lives, leaving only two survivors from the 181 passengers and crew on board.
The doomed flight, operated by Jeju Air, had been returning from Bangkok when disaster struck. Reports suggest that a malfunctioning landing gear caused the aircraft to skid off the runway and collide with a concrete fence before bursting into flames. Emergency services swiftly responded to the scene, deploying 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the blaze. Despite their efforts, only two crew members were pulled from the wreckage alive, both remaining conscious according to local health officials.
A plane carrying 181 people just exploded upon landing in South Korea. This is terrifying pic.twitter.com/21IPRRXker
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 29, 2024
Footage broadcasted by YTN television captured harrowing images of the plane skidding across the airstrip with its landing gear apparently still retracted, culminating in a head-on collision with a wall. Other TV stations showed thick black smoke billowing from the engulfed aircraft, painting a grim picture of chaos and destruction.
Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of Muan’s fire station, provided updates during a televised briefing. He described how rescue workers continued their search amidst scattered debris for any remaining bodies—a task made all the more challenging by the complete destruction of the plane save for its tail assembly.
JUST IN: Commercial flight carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew members crashes while landing in South Korea.
The Boeing 737-800 was traveling from Bangkok, Thailand to Muan Airport.
According to initial reports, there are currently 28 reported fatalities and at least two… pic.twitter.com/D9nRGncbCr
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 29, 2024
In light of this tragedy, Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan confirmed that government investigators have arrived at Muan airport to determine what went wrong. Preliminary inquiries suggest that a bird strike warning was issued by the control tower shortly before impact; authorities are now examining whether this may have contributed to or caused the landing gear failure.