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South Korea plane crash latest: Air safety probe ordered as families mourn 179 killed in Jeju Air disaster
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cldhazMoment Jeju Air plane skids along South Korea runway before crash
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South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok has ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airline operation system a day after 179 people were killed in the deadliest crash in the nation’s history.
Authorities have confirmed that all 175 passengers, as well as four of the six crew, were killed in the incident at Muan international airport on Sunday morning. The only two survivors were crew sitting at the back of the plane at the time of the crash.
Air traffic controllers warned pilots on the plane of a possible bird strike moments before it landed. The pilot then declared a mayday one minute later before trying to land the plane.
The transport ministry said the aircraft’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered but it might take months to complete the probe into the crash.
President Choi announced a seven-day period of national mourning, starting Sunday, and lasting until midnight on Saturday.
The transport ministry said authorities were considering whether to conduct a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by South Korean airliners.
More than 140 victims identifiedAt least 141 victims of the Jeju Air plane crash have been identified so far, South Korea’s land ministry said today, according to Yonhap news agency.
The ministry said all the 179 bodies have been moved to a temporary morgue and families of the victims will be contacted following autopsies.
“Once we are ready to transfer the bodies following autopsies by investigation agencies, we will contact the families,” an official said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 December 2024 07:30
Distraught families want answers after 179 people dieGrieving families screamed and wept at a South Korean airport as the names of the dead were confirmed after a plane carrying 181 people crashed, killing all but two on board, in the worst domestic aviation disaster in the country’s history.
An investigation has been launched, with a bird strike collision among the contributory factors being considered for the crash. Preliminary reports also suggest the plane’s front landing gear failed to deploy.
Among the dead were three generations of the same family, with a man in his sixties telling Korean Yonhap news agency that his sister-in-law, daughter, her husband and their young children were tragically on board.
More here.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 December 2024 07:17
King Charles and Queen ‘profoundly saddened’ by crashThe King has paid tribute to the victims of a plane crash in South Korea which claimed the lives of 179 people.
“My wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the horrific air accident at Muan, which resulted in such grievous loss of life,” the King said in a statement.
“As the people of the Republic of Korea mourn this disaster, the families and loved ones of all the victims are in our prayers.”
The King underwent a procedure at the London Clinic in January before he announced his cancer diagnosis the following month (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Wire)Jabed Ahmed30 December 2024 07:00
Experts question bird strike claimsExperts have questioned whether a bird strike could have caused the undercarriage to fail after a flight with 181 people onboard crashed in South Korea yesterday.
All but two of the 181 people aboard Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 died on Sunday morning after the plane embarked on an unsuccessful emergency landing at South Korea’s Maun International airport. It had flown in from the Thai capital of Bangkok, carrying dozens of Christmas holidaymakers.
Among the passengers were five children under the age of 10, including a three-year-old.
Horrifying footage showed the plane skidding across the runway before colliding with a brick wall and bursting into flames. The only two survivors were two crew members who had been seated at the back of the plane.
More here.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 December 2024 06:30
US investigators help South Korea in probe after crashThe National Transportation Safety Board is leading a team of US investigators to help South Korea‘s aviation authority in its investigation of the Jeju Air crash in Muan, the agency said.
Planemaker Boeing BA.N and the Federal Aviation Administration are participating, NTSB said.
Moments after landing the plane burst into flames (South Korean National Fire Agency/AFP/Getty)Jabed Ahmed30 December 2024 06:00
Watch: Moment South Korea plane skids along runway before fiery crashA Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people skidded down the runway at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, December 29, before crashing.
The aircraft appeared to land without its landing gear deployed as it touched down on the tarmac, skidding and veering off the runway before slamming into a wall and bursting into flames.
Watch here.
Jeju Air: Moment South Korea plane skids along runway before fiery crashA Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people skidded down the runway at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, December 29, before crashing. Yonhap news agency, citing firefighting authorities reported that, except for the two rescued, all the missing passengers are presumed dead and search efforts have now shifted to recovering the bodies. The aircraft appeared to land without its landing gear deployed as it touched down on the tarmac, skidding and veering off the runway before slamming into a wall and bursting into flames. Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital of Bangkok, was landing shortly after 9am (0000 GMT) at the airport in the country’s south, South Korea’s transport ministry said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 December 2024 05:30
Keir Starmer pays tributeSir Keir Starmer sent his “deepest condolences” to the victims of a plane crash in South Korea which killed 179 people.
“I send my deepest condolences to the victims and families of those who lost their lives in the tragic plane crash in Muan,” the Prime Minister said.
“I pay tribute to the work of the emergency responders and my thoughts are with the people of the Republic of Korea and Thailand at this terrible time.”
(EPA)Jabed Ahmed30 December 2024 05:00
Another Jeju Air jet experiences landing-gear issue – reportA Jeju Air aircraft that departed from Gimpo Airport in Seoul for Jeju today experienced an unidentified landing-gear issue after take-off and returned to Gimpo, Yonhap news agency reported.
The aircraft landed safely at the Gimpo airport, it added.
This comes a day after a Jeju Air flight crashed at the Muan international airport yesterday, killing all 175 passengers along with four crew members
.One of the survivors was being treated for fractures to his ribs, shoulder blade and upper spine, said Ju Woong, director of the Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital.
Ju said the man, whose name was not released, told doctors he “woke up to find (himself) rescued”. Details on the other survivor were not immediately available.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 December 2024 04:30
In pics: Wreckage of the Jeju Air flight
Firefighters work at the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport (Getty Images)
Jeju Air flight crash (Getty Images)Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 December 2024 04:15
Father of woman killed says the tragedy is unbelievableJeon Je-young keeps playing the video of the plane with his daughter and another 180 people on board slamming into a wall and bursting into flames at a South Korean airport.
His daughter Mi-sook died on board. He still can’t believe it.
“When I saw the accident video, the plane seemed out of control,” 71-year-old Jeon told Reuters. “The pilots probably had no choice but to do it. My daughter, who is only in her mid-40s, ended up like this. This is unbelievable.”
Mi-sook was a warm-hearted child, he said. She brought some food and next year’s calendar to his house on 21 December, which became his last brief moment with her.
“She is much nicer than my son, sometimes asking me to go out for a meal,” Jeon recalled, showing his last exchanges with his daughter on his mobile phone.
Jeon’s daughter had been on her way home after travelling with friends to Bangkok for the Christmas holiday. She leaves behind a devastated family, including a husband and teenage daughter.
“The water near the airport is not deep. Here are softer fields than this cement runway. Why couldn’t the pilot land there instead?” Jeon said.
“She was almost home, so (she saw) no need to call the family (to leave any final message). She thought she was coming home,” Jeon said.
Jabed Ahmed30 December 2024 04:00