South Korean plane carrying 181 people crashes off runway, 179 dead

The accident occurred at 9:07 a.m. this morning, December 29 (7:07 a.m. Hanoi time) when the Jeju Air plane landed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, about 290 km from Seoul. The plane was carrying 175 passengers, including 173 Koreans and 2 Thai citizens, along with a crew of 6, departing from Bangkok, Thailand.

"Of the 181 people on board, almost all are presumed dead, except for two survivors who were rescued. Many were thrown out when the plane crashed into the wall, with almost no chance of survival. The fuselage was completely destroyed and it is difficult to identify the victims. We will need time to search and collect the bodies," an official from the Jeonnam Provincial Fire Department said during a meeting with the passengers' relatives.

Video of the stationMBCThe release showed the plane landing on its belly, skidding on the runway, crashing into a fence and bursting into flames. News agencyYonhapsaid the incident may have been caused by the plane "hitting a bird and damaging its landing gear".

According toKorea Herald, a passenger on the flight sent a text message to relatives just before the accident. "A bird is stuck in the wing and we can't land. Should I leave a message?", the message, sent at 9 a.m., read. Relatives said they have not been able to contact the passenger.

Officials said the crashed flight, flight number 7C2216, departed from Bangkok at 1:30 a.m. and was scheduled to land at Muan airport at 8:30 a.m.

"The plane planned to land on runway 01 but seemed to have a problem so it decided to take off and circle to try again. The plane could not release its landing gear, so the crew decided to land on its belly during the second landing. However, the plane could not reduce speed and crashed off the runway," said an official at the scene.

Newsis news agency said many of the people on board the crashed plane were tourists who had just finished a five-day trip to Bangkok. The Muan-Bangkok route has operated about four flights a week since December 8, as part of a seasonal operating schedule that runs until March 23, 2025.

Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok arrived at the scene, ordering all forces to do their best to rescue the victims.

South Korean authorities have set up an emergency centre at Muan airport to deal with the situation. A team of seven investigators from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Commission (ARIC) and a supervisor have arrived at the scene.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed condolences to the families of the victims in the accident and asked the Thai Foreign Ministry to verify whether there were any Thai citizens on the flight.

A person calledYonhapHe said he returned from Bangkok to Muan on December 27 on the same plane that crashed.

"I was worried because the engine had problems a few times before departure, so I informed the flight attendants, but they said everything was fine. The flight departed an hour later than scheduled due to problems at the airport," the male passenger said, adding that they did not encounter any other problems during the journey and landed safely at Muan airport afterwards.

Jeju Air is a low-cost airline from South Korea, operating many routes between the country and Southeast Asia, with a fleet mainly consisting of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.