Deadliest plane crash in South Korea’s history: 179 lives lost UPDATED / VIDEO / PHOTO

On December 29, 2024, a tragic aviation accident occurred at Muan International Airport in South Korea, claiming the lives of 179 people.

The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, belly-landed and exploded during its attempted landing, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korea's history, Caliber.Az reports, citing South Korean media.

The incident took place at approximately 9 a.m. local time, when the aircraft veered off the runway while preparing to land. Witnesses report that the plane's landing gear failed to deploy, and the aircraft skidded along the tarmac, crashing into a concrete wall. A violent explosion followed, leaving the plane almost entirely destroyed.

The 181 individuals aboard the flight included passengers from South Korea and two Thai nationals, with ages ranging from three to 78 years old. Authorities confirmed that, tragically, only two crew members survived the incident. They were rushed to nearby hospitals and are currently receiving treatment.

The plane had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, at 1:30 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Muan at 8:30 a.m. South Jeolla Province, where the airport is located, lies approximately 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul.

Firefighting officials described the chances of survival as "extremely low" after the plane’s collision with the wall, noting that many passengers were ejected from the aircraft. Authorities are working diligently to recover the remains of the deceased, though the identification process is expected to take time.

This incident marks the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korea, surpassing previous tragic events, including the 1983 Korean Air flight downed by a Soviet jet, which killed 269 people, and the 1997 crash in Guam that resulted in the deaths of 225 individuals.

13:14 

At least 122 people have died and two were rescued after a Jeju Air passenger jet carrying 181 people erupted in flames as it went off the runway and hit a wall at an airport in South Korea's southwestern county of Muan on December 29, authorities said. 

The accident happened at 9:07 a.m., when the Jeju Air flight veered off the runway while landing and collided with a fence wall at Muan International Airport in Muan county, South Jeolla Province, about 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul, Caliber.Az reports, citing South Korean media.

Except for the two rescued from the accident, everyone aboard is presumed to have been killed, firefighting authorities said, adding that they were switching to search operations to recover bodies.

09:28 

A tragic plane crash in South Korea’s Muan city has claimed the lives of at least 85 people after a passenger jet caught fire upon skidding off the runway at Muan International Airport. 

The crash occurred on December 29 at 9:03 AM local time (00:03 GMT), as a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok attempted to land, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The ill-fated Boeing 737-800, a 15-year-old aircraft, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members when it encountered what authorities believe to be a catastrophic landing gear malfunction. The National Fire Agency confirmed that the dead include 46 women and 39 men, while two crew members have been rescued.

The fire, which engulfed the plane following a series of explosions, has been extinguished. However, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that hopes of finding additional survivors are fading.

Eyewitness accounts describe the aircraft skidding on its belly down the runway before erupting into flames. Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from Seoul, said, “Images on the media here appear to show the plane landing on its belly, skidding along the runway, followed then by a huge explosion.”

Preliminary investigations suggest that a bird strike may have caused the accident. According to Yonhap, contact with birds likely damaged the landing gear during the aircraft’s descent. A passenger reportedly sent a chilling text message to a relative moments before the crash, stating, “Should I say my last words?”

South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok has ordered an all-out rescue effort, directing agencies to mobilize resources to save lives. “All related agencies… must mobilize all available resources to save the personnel,” Choi said in a statement.

Jeju Air, a prominent South Korean low-cost carrier established in 2005, expressed deep regret over the incident, offering condolences to the victims’ families. The airline stated, “We will do everything in our power in response to this accident.”

This marks the first fatal accident for Jeju Air, which had previously faced a runway incident in 2007 involving a Bombardier Q400. That event, caused by strong winds, resulted in injuries but no fatalities.

Rescue operations and investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing. Officials from South Korea’s Transport Ministry have yet to confirm whether a bird strike was the definitive cause, with other theories also under consideration.

The airport, located approximately 289 kilometres (179 miles) southwest of Seoul, has been temporarily closed as authorities manage the disaster's aftermath.

By Khagan Isayev