A tragic airplane accident at Muan International Airport in South Korea has resulted in the loss of 179 lives, leaving only two individuals as survivors.
The airliner veered off the runway and erupted into a fireball as it slammed into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, the national fire agency said.
According to the fire authorities, two people who were rescued are getting treatment at a local hospital.
The accident took place when Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which was transporting 175 passengers and six crew members from Bangkok, Thailand, was attempting to land at a southern airport in South Korea shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), according to the country’s transport ministry.
Video shared by local media showed the twin-engine aircraft skidding down the runway with no apparent landing gear before slamming into a wall in an explosion of flame and debris. Other photos showed smoke and fire engulfing parts of the plane.
Yonhap cited airport authorities are saying the landing gear may have malfunctioned due to a bird strike.
As reported by an agency a passenger texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing. The person’s final message was, “Should I say my last words?” Although an official from the aviation department of the transport ministry stated that bird strike is one of the unverified theories, noting that the investigation is still in progress.
The passengers comprised two Thai citizens, while the remainder are thought to be South Koreans, as reported by the transportation ministry.
According to an airline spokesperson, the aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-800 jet operated by Jeju Air, which is currently investigating the incident to gather information about the casualties and the cause.
According to Yonhap, all domestic and international flights at Muan airport were cancelled. South Korea’s interim President Choi Sang-mok, who took on this role last Friday following the impeachment of the former acting president during a continuing political crisis, instructed his office to initiate comprehensive rescue operations.
For the first time in 22 years, South Korea has experienced a passenger casualty, harkening back to the crash of Air China Flight 129, which struck a hill close to Gimhae International Airport in Busan in April 2002. Additionally, this marks Jeju Air’s first fatal incident since the airline commenced operations in June 2006.