A passenger jet crashed and burst into flames at a South Korean airport killing at least 176 people in the country’s deadliest air disaster for nearly three decades.
Dramatic footage showed the Jeju Air Boeing 737 skidding down the runway without landing gear before smashing into a wall at Muan International Airport in a massive explosion.
Only two crew members survived after being pulled from the tail section of the wreckage which fire chief Lee Jung-hyun said was barely recognisable. “Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape and the rest of the plane looks almost impossible to recognise,” he told reporters.
The flight from Bangkok was carrying 181 passengers and crew when it attempted to land shortly after 9am local time on Sunday. Moments before the crash a passenger texted a relative saying a bird was stuck in the wing followed by the chilling message: “Should I say my last words?”
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Investigators are examining whether a bird strike caused the landing gear to fail. The control tower had issued a bird strike warning shortly before the pilots declared mayday.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae apologised for the disaster and promised to support bereaved families. The budget airline confirmed the 14-year-old aircraft had no history of accidents or technical issues.
Emergency crews have switched from rescue to recovery operations with workers in protective suits searching the area for victims. A temporary morgue has been set up near the crash site which witnesses say smells of aviation fuel and blood.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok rushed to the scene and pledged the government’s full resources to deal with South Korea’s worst aviation accident since 1997.
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