LAST UPDATE | 29 Dec
A TOTAL OF 179 people were killed in today’s plane crash in South Korea, the country’s fire agency confirmed as it announced a final toll from the disaster.
“Of the 179 dead, 65 have been identified,” the fire agency said of the crash at Muan International Airport, which two members of the crew survived.
The Jeju Air plane caught fire during a landing the Muan International Airport.
The fire engulfed the aircraft carrying 181 people when it skidded off the runway just after landing and struck a barrier.
The country’s emergency office said its landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned.
Emergency workers pulled out two people, both crew members. Local health officials said they remain conscious.
They added that 32 fire trucks and several helicopters had been deployed to contain the fire.
Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that rescue workers were continuing to search for bodies scattered by the crash impact.
The plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage, he said.
Lee said workers were looking into various possibilities about what caused the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds that caused mechanical problems.
In a statement on X, the Irish Embassy in South Korea confirmed that there were “no Irish nationals on board”.
The Embassy is aware of a tragic plane crash today at Muan Airport. Details are emerging, but we can confirm that there were no Irish nationals on board. Those concerned about loved ones can call Jeju Air helpline 0808981500/ +8215998629. May those who perished rest in peace
— Irish Embassy Korea (@IrishEmbKorea) December 29, 2024
Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan separately told reporters that government investigators arrived at the site to investigate the cause of the crash and fire.
Footage of the crash aired by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip, apparently with its landing gear still closed, and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility 180 miles south of Seoul.
The transport ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet returning from Bangkok and its passengers include two Thai nationals.
Jeju Air in a statement expressed its “deep apology” over the crash and said it will do its “utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident.”
In a televised news conference, the company’s president Kim E-bae deeply bowed with other senior company officials as he apologised to bereaved families and said he feels “full responsibility” for the incident.
Kim said the company had not identified any mechanical problems in the aircraft following regular checks and that he would wait for the results of government investigations into the cause of the incident.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who assumed responsibility after the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol and acting President Han Duck-soo and suspended his duties, was heading to the scene having ordered officials to employ all available resources.
Yoon’s office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, will preside over an emergency meeting between senior presidential staff on Sunday to discuss the crash.
Thailand’s prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed deep condolences to the families of those affected through a post on social platform X, saying she had ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance immediately.
The last time South Korea suffered a large-scale air disaster was in 1997 when a Korean Airline plane crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board.
With additional reporting from Andrew Walsh.
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