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At least 174 people died in the crash of a Jeju Air passenger plane with 181 passengers and crew crash landed and skidded off the runway at South Korean the airport and hit the concrete perimeter fence.
The country’s fire service said all but two people on board the plane were presumed dead, making it one of South KoreaThe worst plane disasters.
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Here’s everything we know so far:
what happened?
A Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crashed while attempting to land at Muan International Airport in southwestern South Korea on Sunday morning. The video shows the Boeing 737-800 “belly landing” without landing gear and sliding at high speed along the runway before hitting a wall.
Local TV stations broadcast footage showing thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the plane, which was engulfed in flames.
Witnesses reported hearing loud “gunshots” before the aircraft hit the wall.
What was the cause of the plane crash?
The exact cause of the accident is still being investigated. Local broadcaster MBC broadcast footage of what appeared to be a bird strike incident as the plane descended. Officials also said the weather may have played a role.
The black box of the crashed plane has been returned, a senior official of the Ministry of Transport said.
Joo Jong-wan said the flight data recorder was taken from the black box, but workers are still searching for the voice recorder in the cockpit.
Transportation ministry officials said their early assessment of communications records showed the airport’s control tower issued a bird strike warning to the plane just before it was about to land.
8.57 local time: The Muan International Airport control tower has issued a bird strike alert.
8.58 am: The pilot sent a “Mayday” distress signal.
9 am: The plane tried to land on the runway, but failed to activate the landing gear.
9.03am: the plane fell on its fuselage, collided with the airport fence and burst into flames.
Who survived?
The only two survivors so far are two of the six crew members.
Media reports indicate they were near the back emergency exit. They are believed to have escaped after the tail section separated during the crash.
They were pulled from the wreckage and taken to the hospital.
Who else was on board?
Among the 175 passengers on the flight, 173 were Korean nationals and two were Thai nationals, officials said.
What did Jeju Air and Boeing say?
At a televised press conference, Kim E-bae, chairman of Jeju Air, bowed with other senior company officials as he apologized to the bereaved families and said he took “full responsibility” for the incident.
Mr Kim said the company had not identified any mechanical problems with the plane after regular inspections and would await the results of government investigations into the cause of the incident.
In a separate statement, the airline expressed its “deepest apologies” for the accident and said it would do “to the best of its ability to manage the consequences of the accident”.
Boeing said in a statement to X that it is in contact with Jeju Air and is ready to support the company in dealing with the accident. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” Boeing said.