A tragic plane crash in South Korea on Sunday morning left 181 people onboard, with at least 179 feared dead. Family members rushed to the airport, desperately searching for their loved ones.
One family shared that they had received text messages from the passenger minutes before the crash. The passenger mentioned that a bird had struck the plane’s wing and then sent a final message asking, “Should I say my last words?”
People living near the airport also heard the plane’s engine making strange noises before the crash. One witness described seeing the plane descending, followed by a flash of light, a loud bang, and smoke. Another witness heard a scraping metal sound just before the aircraft failed to land and exploded moments later.
The crash site was scattered with luggage, clothes, and water bottles, many of which were stained with blood. Search teams are still working to locate remains and any pieces of the aircraft, with smoke still rising from the wreckage hours later.
Two people, likely crew members, have been rescued. Among those onboard, the oldest was a 78-year-old man, and the youngest was just three. Authorities have now shifted from rescue efforts to recovery operations, searching for bodies that may have been thrown from the plane due to the force of the impact.
Jeju Air, the South Korea airline involved, issued a statement expressing deep apologies for the crash. The airline’s CEO stated that while the cause of the crash is still under investigation, there were no prior signs of malfunction. The airline has promised full cooperation with investigators and pledged to support the families of the victims.
Read More: South Korea orders airline safety probe after worst domestic crash
Earlier, South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airline operation as investigators worked to identify victims and find out what caused the deadliest air crash on South Korean soil.
All 175 passengers and four of the six crew were killed when a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway at Muan International Airport, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall. Two crew members were pulled out alive.
The top priority for now is identifying the victims, supporting their families and treating the two survivors, Choi told a disaster management meeting in Seoul.
“Even before the final results are out, we ask that officials transparently disclose the accident investigation process and promptly inform the bereaved families,” he said.
“As soon as the accident recovery is conducted, the transport ministry is requested to conduct an emergency safety inspection of the entire aircraft operation system to prevent recurrence of aircraft accidents,” he said.
As a first step, the transport ministry announced plans to conduct a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by South Korean airliners beginning on Monday, focusing on the maintenance record of key components.
Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital Bangkok, was trying to land shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Sunday at the airport in the south of the country.
Investigators are examining bird strikes, whether any of the aircraft’s control systems were disabled, and the apparent rush by the pilots to attempt a landing soon after declaring an emergency as possible factors in the crash, fire and transportation officials have said.
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