SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A Jeju Air passenger plane crashed and burst into flames Sunday morning at Muan airport, killing 179 people in one of South Korea’s deadliest aviation disasters, after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy.
The Boeing 737-800 jet, arriving from Bangkok, skidded off the runway at 9:03 a.m., crashed into a concrete wall, and exploded, according to the Transport Ministry. Only two crew members survived the crash, which occurred about 290 kilometers south of Seoul.
“Workers are looking into various possibilities about what caused the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds,” said Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station. Transport Ministry officials said airport controllers had issued a bird strike warning shortly before the attempted landing.
Among the victims were 85 women, 84 men, and 10 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable. The passengers were predominantly South Korean, with two Thai nationals among the dead.
“I never thought that this would be the last time we would see each other forever,” said Boonchuay Duangmanee, father of Thai victim Jongluk, who had been working in South Korea.
The government declared Muan a special disaster zone and designated a weeklong national mourning period through Saturday. Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, currently leading the government following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, called for all available resources to identify victims.
Jeju Air President Kim E-bae apologized to bereaved families during a televised news conference, saying he feels “full responsibility” for the incident. Boeing expressed condolences and offered support to the airline.
Investigators have retrieved the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, though Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan said the investigation could take months to complete.
The crash represents South Korea’s worst aviation disaster since 1997, when 228 people died in a Korean Air crash in Guam.
