179 Passengers Died, Jeju Air Accident Recorded The Most Terrible In South Korea

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JAKARTA One of the South Korean (South Korean) fire agency officials said that when the Jeju Air plane exploded on Sunday morning, December 29, 2024, it resulted in 179 people dying. When the incident occurred, Jeju Air was transporting 181 people.

The incident was the deadliest flight accident ever in South Korea and was the third accident with the highest death toll involving the South Korean airline.

At 9 pm local time, authorities confirmed 179 deaths from the crash and said two crew members had been rescued.

The two people were taken to a different hospital in Seoul, after receiving treatment at a hospital near the airport.

"After the plane hit the wall, passengers were thrown out of the plane. The chances of survival were very low," firefighters said, citing ANTARA, Sunday, December 29.

"The plane was almost completely destroyed and it was difficult to identify the dead victims," the official said.

A total of 181 people were on board the Boeing 737-800 which took off from Bangkok, Thailand at 01.30 am. The plane is scheduled to arrive in Muan at around 08.30 am. The passengers are all Koreans, except for two Thai nationals.

Of those on the plane, 82 were men and 93 were women with age ranges ranging from three to 78 years. Many of them were in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

A temporary morgue has been established inside Muan Airport to lay the victim's body.

Authorities believe that the landing gear failure was most likely caused by a collision with birds that may have been the cause of the accident. They have started an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause.

They have taken flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders from the rubble, although it may take months to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The Defense Ministry said in a briefing that the airport's control tower had warned of a collision with birds at 08.54 a.m. The pilot announced a danger or state of emergency at 08.59 a.m. and landed the plane at 09.03 a.m. without the landing gear removed.