A tragedy has occurred in South Korea. A plane crashed early this Sunday, December 29, 2024. Jeju Air flight JJA-2216, coming from Bangkok, crashed at Muan International Airport. According to Le Point, the plane was carrying 181 people in total, including 175 passengers and six crew members. The majority of passengers were South Korean, with only two Thais on board. The death toll is at least 151 people.
The circumstances of the accident are still unclear, but initial analyzes indicate that a collision with birds could be the cause of the tragedy. “The cause of the accident is suspected to be a collision with birds combined with unfavorable weather conditions,” Lee Jeong-hyun, head of the Muan Fire Station, said at a press conference. The latter also specified that the plane had issued a distress message after a first landing attempt, reporting that the aircraft had been struck by birds.
Footage posted on social media showed the plane attempting to land before veering off the runway and hitting a concrete wall, causing a massive explosion. “The plane is almost completely destroyed and the identification of the deceased is proving difficult,” said a rescue service official reported by the media. Firefighters said “the passengers were ejected from the plane when it collided with a barrier, giving them little chance of survival.”
The investigations that will be carried out, with the analysis of the black boxes, will allow them to be located. The two black boxes have been found, but investigations could take up to three years, said a South Korean minister cited by CNN.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok visited the scene to express condolences to the families of the victims and ordered a full mobilization of resources for relief operations. “All relevant agencies must mobilize all available resources to save people,” he said.
This crash is considered one of the deadliest in the country’s recent history. Flight JJA-2216 was a Boeing 737-8AS, a model in service since 2009. Authorities continue to assess the toll and are conducting a thorough investigation to determine the exact causes of the tragedy.
