A Jeju Air flight from Bangkok, TH to aircraft to Muan, ROK, carrying 181 people, has crashed at an airport in South Korea, killing at least 28 people, with the number of fatalities expected to rise.
The crash of flight 7C-2216 occurred this morning, December 29th at 8:54 am upon landing in the Southwestern coastal city of Muan, and the scene of the accident site is horrific, with so far at least 28 fatalities reported.
This is a developing story as the accident happened only about an hour ago and we will upddate throughout the day as news develop.
According to reporting from the BBC, only two people were so far discovered alive and brought to safety by emergency services.
An aircraft carrying 181 people has crashed at an airport in South Korea, killing at least 28 people, the Yonhap news agency reports.
The aircraft veered off a runway and crashed into a wall at Muan International Airport in the south west of the country, the South Korean news agency reports.
The Jeju Air plane, which was carrying 175 passengers and six flight attendants, was reportedly flying back from Bangkok in Thailand and the accident took place while it was landing.
Two people were found alive and rescue operations were still under way, a fire official told the Reuters news agency.
Emergency services were attempting to rescue people in the tail section of the aircraft, an airport official said.
The cause of the crash is unclear but a bird strike may have caused the landing gear to malfunction, Yonhap reports.
Unverified footage uploaded to social media shows the aircraft skidding off the runway and crashing into a wall, before part of it bursts into flames. Other footage shows a large plume of black smoke rising into the sky.
One flight attendant and one passenger have been rescued so far, South Korea’s fire agency said in a statement, adding that 32 fire trucks had been deployed to the crash site.
This marks a rather horrible end to the year, which was plagued by a series of air accidents, though this one could end up being the most serious one depending on how it goes with the rescue efforts as the images from the crash site are extremely serious.
Several media sources show images from the crash site.
Some on YouTube, such as this one showing the plane crashing as it lands and veers sideways into a fence/barrier:
Absolute horrific to watch the end of this, it’s a miracle that even a few people so far survived this.
There is also a media release of a video that appears to have captured a bird strike:
BREAKING: South Korean media releases footage capturing a bird strike on Jeju Air Flight 2216 before its crash
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) December 29, 2024
Jeju Air is a small South Korean budget carrier that provides service on lots of routes, especially within Asia. They not only serve Jeju Island but also fly to many other Korean cities and, of course, Seoul.
Conclusion
Jeju Air flight 7C-2216 from Bangkok crashed this morning, December 29th, at 8:54 am in Muan, South Korea – There were many fatalities reported, and more likely than not, the number will increase dramatically in the coming hours.
Flying with Jeju Air has always been a great experience. The crew conduct was always professional and safety procedures were diligently explained. Of course, there is only so much one can do considering what transpired here.
Let’s keep the passengers and their loved ones in our thoughts during this difficult time. RIP!
