Boeing 737 crash in South Korea leaves 179 dead, two survivors

A plane went off the runway on Sunday December 29 and crashed into a wall at Muan International Airport, in the south of South Korea, before bursting into flames, killing 179 of the 181 people present. on board. The accident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. during the landing of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, the South Korean Ministry of Transport announced. The plane, coming from the Thai capital Bangkok, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, the ministry said.

A video broadcast by local media shows the aircraft skidding on its belly without visible landing gear before hitting a wall and catching fire.

“Only the rear of the plane retains its shape somewhat. It is almost impossible to recognize the rest (of the plane),” Muan Fire Chief Lee Jung-hyun told a conference press.

Two crew members, a woman and a man, were pulled out alive from the tail of the aircraft and the fire was extinguished around 1 p.m., he said. They had serious and serious injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment, the head of the local public health center said.

It is the deadliest air disaster in South Korea, after the crash of an Air China plane in 2002 which left 129 dead.

Experts say reports of a bird strike and how the plane attempted to land raise more questions than answers. “A bird strike is not unusual, nor are problems with the landing gear,” said Geoffrey Thomas, editor in chief of Airline News. “Bird strikes are much more common, but they generally do not result in the loss of a device.”

In accordance with international aviation rules, South Korea will conduct a civilian investigation into the accident and automatically involve the United States, where the plane was designed and assembled. Acting President Choi Sang-mok declared a seven-day period of national mourning until January 4 during an emergency meeting on Sunday.

Airline cooperation

Jeju Air general manager Kim E-bae apologized after the accident in a televised news conference. The cause of the accident is still unknown, he said, adding that there were no warning signs of the aircraft malfunctioning. The airline will cooperate with investigators and make support for the bereaved its top priority.

Among the avenues investigated by investigators are a collision between a bird and the plane and weather conditions, Lee Jung-hyun said. The control tower issued a warning about a risk of collision with birds and shortly after, the pilots issued a distress call, a Transport Ministry official said. He did not say whether the plane said it struck any birds.

One of the passengers sent a message to a relative to say that a bird was stuck in the wing of the plane, the News1 news agency reported.

Boeing announced in a statement that it was in contact with the airline and “stands ready to assist them.” The company also sent its condolences to the families of the victims.

All domestic and international flights were canceled at Muan Airport, Yonhap reported.

Acting South Korean President Choi Sung-mok, appointed on December 27 to lead the country after the dismissal of his predecessor, arrived at the scene of the accident and announced that the government was mobilizing all its resources to take action. after the disaster.

With Reuters (Hongji Kim and Ju-min Park in Muan, Hyunsu Yim, Cynthia Kim and Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul, with David Brunnstrom and Gram Slattery in Washington, Panu Wongcha-um and Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok, written by Josh Smith; French version Camille Raynaud and Kate Entringer)