At least 122 people die after South Korean passenger plane makes emergency landing at airport
Dozens of people were killed when a passenger plane crashed at an airport in southwestern South Korea on Sunday, its belly sliding off the runway and then bursting into flames.
At least 122 people have been confirmed dead so far, according to the local fire department. Two people were rescued from the crash site, both crew members, but rescuers warned there was little hope of finding more survivors.
The disaster occurred on Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, at Muan County Airport just after 9 a.m. local time on Sunday (7 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday). Officials said the accident was caused by a malfunctioning landing gear.
Footage of Sunday’s crash broadcast by multiple news outlets in South Korea showed the plane’s belly sliding at high speed, hitting an earth embankment and ejecting a fireball.
In the video broadcast by networks such as YTN, JTBC and MBC, the rear and nose landing gear are not visible, and smoke pours from the rear of the taxiing plane.
Firefighters later used water cannons to extinguish the burning remains of the plane, listed as a Boeing 737-800 on the flight tracking website FlightAware. Several parts of the plane were also scattered on the runway.
According to the Jeollanam-do Fire Department, the victims included 54 men, 57 women and 11 people whose gender could not be determined. According to the rescue team, the two survivors were crew members, a man and a woman.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Land and Resources, there were two Thai nationals on board and officials from the National Accident Investigation Commission have arrived to investigate the cause of the accident.
The Department of Transportation said in a briefing that rescuers would search for the “black box” flight data recorder after recovering the bodies of the remaining victims. The recorders provide aviation safety investigators with key facts as they piece together what happened after the incident.
The ministry added that more than 700 personnel from the police, army and coast guard have been mobilized for the on-site response.
South Korea’s acting president said the site of Sunday’s plane crash had been declared a special disaster area and vowed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the deadly disaster.
“We will focus all resources on the recovery and support of the victims. All necessary resources are being mobilized and a special disaster area has been declared,” Choi Sang-mok said in a statement.
Firefighters and rescue crews work on the runway at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024.
Mr Cui, who visited the crash site on Sunday, “expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims” and promised to make every effort to deal with the aftermath of the accident and prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
The tragedy, which occurred just two days after Choi Cheon-kai took office as acting president, is the latest chapter in a chaotic period of South Korean politics.
The country’s current president, Yoon Seok-yeol, was stripped of power by parliament two weeks ago after a brief martial law plunged the country into political chaos. He has been suspended and the Supreme Court will decide his fate.
Han Deok-soo, who succeeded Yoon as acting president, was impeached by the National Assembly on Friday, which means Finance Minister and Vice Prime Minister Cui Tiankai will succeed him.
Boeing expresses its condolences to those who lost loved ones in the accident.
“We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding Flight 2216 and stand ready to support them,” Boeing said in a brief statement posted on its X account.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the families who have lost their loved ones and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew,” the company added.
On December 29, 2024, rescuers participated in the rescue operation at the scene where a plane overran the runway and crashed at Muan Muan International Airport in South Korea.
The U.S. aerospace giant, which has endured a turbulent period in recent years, including two 737 Max crashes, agreed to admit deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration during the aircraft certification process.
However, analysts describe the Boeing 737-800 as a reliable workhorse in the sky with an extremely good safety record.
Jeju Air’s chief executive said there were “no signs of any problems” with the plane before Sunday’s accident.
“It is currently difficult to determine the cause of the accident and we must wait for the relevant government agencies to officially announce the results of the investigation,” Kim Yi-bae said at a press conference at the airport.
One aviation journalist said Sunday’s crash was “very puzzling” given that both the aircraft and the aircraft carrier had a good safety record and excellent flying conditions.
Airlines news editor Geoffrey Thomas told CNN’s Paula Newton that the Boeing 737-800 is one of the most widely used aircraft in the world, with each aircraft performing approximately four to five flights per day flight.
“It’s the most reliable aircraft in the world and has been in service for 20 years,” he said. “Everyone knows how it works. And it works really well. Maintenance is done on [South] South Korea is doing well all over the world.
South Korean fire officials said the landing gear may have malfunctioned, and video showed the plane’s belly sliding.
“It’s unclear whether the landing gear collapsed on landing or whether the landing gear didn’t deploy at all. This is a very serious issue and one that investigators will obviously be paying close attention to,” Thomas said.
He added that the crash was “puzzling” considering the plane was landing at a good airport in dry and sunny conditions.
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com