Tragic Air Incident in South Korea Leaves Many Casualties

Seoul, Dec 30 (NationPress) All the 179 individuals aboard a passenger jet that met with a tragic accident while landing at an airport in southwest South Korea have been confirmed deceased, with only two crew members rescued, as reported by various media sources citing fire officials.

The fire authorities mentioned that the remains of all 179 victims were retrieved from the site by 8:38 p.m. local time, with the rescue operation yielding only two survivors.

This incident stands as the most devastating air disaster in the nation’s recent history, surpassing the 1993 crash that claimed 66 lives, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.

At approximately 9:03 a.m. local time, the aircraft, which was carrying 175 passengers—including 173 South Koreans and two Thais—along with six flight attendants, crashed during its landing approach to Muan International Airport, located around 290 km southwest of the capital city, Seoul.

The Jeju Air flight 7C2216 originating from Bangkok, Thailand attempted to land without its landing gear deployed, skidded off the runway, and collided with the outer wall of the runway, resulting in its fuselage breaking apart and igniting a fire.

Only two crew members were rescued from the rear section of the damaged aircraft, which suffered extensive destruction.

Fire officials suspect that a bird strike leading to a failure of the landing gear might have triggered the catastrophe.

Following an initial landing attempt, the aircraft was forced to circle back due to what appeared to be a malfunction in the landing gear, ultimately attempting a belly landing that culminated in this disaster.

Television coverage revealed a significant plume of black smoke rising from the Boeing 737-800, which was engulfed in flames. Additional footage depicted an engine on the right wing of the aircraft releasing smoke and flames prior to the landing attempt.

An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated during a televised briefing that the retrieval of both the flight data and voice recorders has been finalized to investigate the circumstances surrounding this air disaster.

The transport ministry has indicated that it may require a duration of months to years to ascertain the precise cause of the incident.

In response to the tragedy, South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok announced a week-long mourning period.

During a central disaster response meeting, Choi declared that the mourning period would last until midnight on January 4 of the following year, establishing joint memorial altars across 17 cities and provinces to honor the victims.

He further stated that civil servants across all ministries, local governments, and public institutions would wear mourning ribbons throughout this period, pledging a thorough investigation into the incident's cause and measures to avert similar tragedies in the future.

Choi extended heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, designating Muan county as a special disaster area to facilitate necessary support for the bereaved and the injured.