A Jeju Air flight traveling from Bangkok, Thailand, to South Korea met with a catastrophic accident on Sunday upon its arrival. The plane, carrying 181 people, collided with a barrier at Muan International Airport and burst into flames. Authorities have reported that all but two individuals are presumed dead.
Initial investigations suggest that a bird strike and unfavorable weather conditions might have contributed to the disaster. The fire department described the aircraft as being “almost completely destroyed” due to the crash, which violently ejected passengers from the plane.
Video footage captured the plane landing on its belly, skidding along the runway at Muan International Airport before crashing into a wall. The impact caused a massive explosion and engulfed the aircraft in flames.
Out of the 181 individuals on board, 167 were confirmed dead, making this the deadliest aviation accident on South Korean soil. The flight, identified as Jeju Air 7C2216, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members. It attempted to land at approximately 9 a.m. local time, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Transport.
Two crew members, a man and a woman, were pulled from the wreckage and taken to nearby hospitals with severe injuries. Muan Fire Chief Lee Jung-hyun stated that the rest of the passengers are presumed to have died on impact. The fire was extinguished by 1 p.m., but the wreckage left the plane unrecognizable, save for parts of the tail section.
Rescue operations have now shifted to recovery efforts, with authorities searching the surrounding area for any bodies thrown from the impact. Lee also noted that the crash’s force was so severe that remains may have been scattered.
The accident marks South Korea’s deadliest airline disaster since a 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam and is the worst involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades. Officials suspect that a bird strike may have caused the plane’s landing gear to malfunction. The control tower had issued a bird strike warning prior to the incident, and the pilots declared a mayday shortly thereafter. A passenger’s final text message, stating that a bird was stuck in the wing, added weight to this theory.
Family members gathered at the airport’s arrival area, overwhelmed by grief. Many cried and embraced one another while awaiting updates from authorities. A list of victims identified by fingerprint analysis was read aloud, prompting anguished reactions from the crowd. Temporary morgues were set up near the site, and rescue teams combed through the debris, which smelled of aviation fuel and blood.
Jeju Air, established in 2005, issued a public apology. CEO Kim E-bae assured that the airline would prioritize supporting the bereaved families and cooperate fully with investigations. The airline confirmed that the Boeing 737-800 aircraft had no prior history of malfunctions. Manufactured in 2009, the jet was operating regular flights between Muan and Bangkok for only three weeks before the tragedy.
Muan International Airport, one of South Korea’s smaller airports, has seen a significant increase in international passenger traffic over the past year. Following the crash, all flights at the airport were canceled. South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok visited the scene and pledged full government support for recovery efforts.
Boeing expressed condolences to the victims’ families, stating its readiness to assist Jeju Air during the investigation. Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra extended her sympathies to the families of the deceased and confirmed that Thai authorities were in communication with South Korean officials. The two Thai nationals on board were among those presumed dead.
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