According to reports out of Seoul, South Korea, the identities of at least 65 out of the 179 people confirmed dead have been determined after a South Korean Jeju Air Flight 2216, carrying 181 people, crashed at an airport. Shocking footage of the tragic crash has also surfaced.
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According to CNN, just two people of the 181 aboard a South Korean jet have survived one of the worst, deadliest plane crashes to hit South Korea since 1997. At the time, a Korean Airlines Boeing 747 crashed in the Guam jungle, leaving 228 dead.
On Saturday (December 28), a Boeing 737-800 Jeju Air flight, carrying 181 people, was arriving at the Muan International Airport (180 miles south of the South Korean city of Seoul), from Bangkok, Thailand, when its landing gear malfunctioned, causing the plane to hit the runway, skid off, and set fire, killing 179 people.
The Jeju Air Flight 2216 is said to have departed from Bangkok shortly after 2 a.m. local time (2 p.m. Saturday ET), according to the flight-tracking platform FlightAware. The South Korean Jeju Air flight was carried 181 people, comprising 175 passengers and six crew members, according to Joo Jong-wan, Director of the Aviation Policy Division at South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The Director reported that at least two of the passengers were Thai, making most of the rest of the people aboard the flight Korean. Joo Jong-wan added, “The pilot declared mayday after issuing the bird strike alert,” after crashing, the jet was “completely destroyed.”
According to Director Joo Jong-wan, the plane initially attempted to land on the airport’s Runway 1, however, the control tower issued a bird strike warning to the pilots and instructed them to land on the opposite side, on Runway 19. A minute later, the pilots sent a mayday signal over a bird strike and attempted to make it to Runway 19.
However, while passing over the runway, the plane hit a structure, failed to lower its landing gear, striking a safety system called a localizer, which guides landing, and skidded across the runway before crashing into a barrier/wall and bursting into flames. According to a video that has since surfaced, the tail of the plane was the only part that appeared to remain intact as flames engulfed the South Korean jet.
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Following the deadly airport crash of the South Korean Jeju Air flight, carrying 181 people, two survivors were pulled from the tail end of the wreckage with moderate injuries while 179 people have been confirmed dead. According to South Korea’s National Fire Agency, among those killed, at least 84 were women and 82 were men. The genders of 11 other victims have yet to be identified. The two that survived have been identified as crew members: a 25-year-old woman with the surname Koo and a 33-year-old flight attendant with the surname Lee.
A full investigation has been launched, which is estimated to take between six months and three years to complete. The South Korean jet’s manufacturer, Boeing, extended its condolences to the victims’ families, claiming it was in contact with the airline.
Additionally, Jeju Air released a statement and extended their own condolences and apologies to “everyone affected.” Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae said, “Above all, we offer our heartfelt condolences and apologies to the passengers who tragically lost their lives in the accident and to their bereaved families. The CEO said the airline is taking “full responsibility for this tragedy” and that it would provide support for the passengers’ families
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