By Taejun Kang
At least 179 people were killed when a JejuAir flight arriving from Bangkok burst into flames after skidding off the runway as it was landing at an airport in South Korea on Sunday.
Two flight attendants were the only survivors among the 181 people aboard the Boeing 737-800 operated by JejuAir, a South Korean budget airline, according to news reports. Most of the passengers and crew were South Korean nationals and there were two Thais aboard the plane that crashed at Muan International Airport in southwestern South Korea, Thailand’s embassy in Seoul said.
According to the Associated Press, the plane’s front-landing gear apparently failed to deploy as the 737 touched down on the runway. The plane skidded off the runway and burst into flames after crashing into a concrete wall, AP reported.
South Korean authorities said that a bird strike could have caused the front gear to fail to deploy as the passenger jet was landing amid adverse weather at around 9 a.m.
Witnesses said they heard explosions and saw flames in an engine of the Jeju Air flight as it was trying to land, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
Video footage broadcast by TV stations showed the 737 descending on the runway without deploying its front landing gear. It skidded across the ground, hit a concrete wall, and exploded in a fireball.
“The plane body was almost destroyed, and the dead are difficult to identify. It is taking time to identify the location of the remains and recover them,” the Jeollanam-do Fire Department said.
The official death toll climbed through the day to 179, AP reported, as bodies were recovered from a smoldering crash site where some 1,500 rescue workers sifted through the wreckage.
The two crew members who survived were pulled from the broken off rear section of the aircraft, BBCNews reported. They were in hospital.
The dead included 85 women, 84 men and 10 whose genders could not be immediately determined, AP reported.
Two Thai nationals who were among the dead, Thailand’s foreign ministry confirmed.
A “black box” flight data recorder had been recovered, the BBC reported.
Jeju Air chief Kim E-bae made a public apology and extended condolences to the family members who lost their loved ones, promising to provide all necessary support to the victims’ families.
“Regardless of the cause, I take full responsibility,” Kim said.
Choi Sang-mok, South Korea’s acting president, visited the crash site and told officials to make all-out efforts in their search, and he expressed deep condolences to the bereaved. He promised all possible government assistance.
Choi has been serving as acting president since Friday, after the National Assembly voted to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was suspended less than two weeks after assuming the role from President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14.
“I believe no words of consolation will be enough,” Choi said.
“The government will spare no effort in supporting the bereaved families.