S. Korea: 179 Dead and Only Two Survivors in Deadly Plane Crash
Firefighters working on the wreckage of the Jeju Air plane at Muan International Airport, 29 December 2024. Photo: EFE/HAN MYUNG-GU
December 29, 2024 Hour: 4:05 pm
Firefighters have confirmed that the final toll from the accident involving flight 7C2216 of South Korean Jeju Air, which exploded after going off the runway and crashing into a wall at Muan Airport (about 290 kilometers southwest of Seoul), stands at 179 dead and only two survivors.
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Rescue officials reported at 8:38 PM local time (11:38 AM GMT), nearly 12 hours after the accident, that the last missing person who was aboard the aircraft had been found, according to Yonhap news agency.
Several hours earlier, authorities had already indicated there was no hope of finding any more survivors among the 181 people on board, with only two—both cabin crew members located at the back of the plane—being rescued alive.
The accident occurred around 9:03 local time (00:07 GMT), when the plane, a Boeing 737-800 which had departed hours before from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport, landed at destination, at Muan airport, and crashed into the fence after leaving the runway.
The Muan control tower issued a bird collision alert for the aircraft six minutes before landing, which occurred without the aircraft activating the landing gear and other braking mechanisms.
Four minutes before the fatal landing, the captain issued a “mayday” signal, and amateur images and eyewitness accounts detail an apparent impact on the right engine of the Boeing.
Of the 181 people on board, there were the pilot, co-pilot and four flight attendants plus 175 passengers, including 173 South Koreans and two Thai nationals.
Autor: ACJ
Fuente: EFE
