A Jeju Air passenger plane attempting to land at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province has crashed, resulting in the deaths of most passengers on board. Emergency responders have set up a temporary morgue at the accident site and recovered 94 bodies.
On Sunday, South Jeolla Province authorities announced the establishment of a disaster safety headquarters and an emergency response control team. A temporary morgue has been set up on the first floor of Muan Airport. As of 2:20 p.m., the morgue housed the remains of 94 passengers.
Local authorities have prepared 400 emergency relief kits, 1,500 blankets, 1,000 hot packs, and 800 meals for the bereaved families. They have also assigned 360 officials to assist. A joint memorial altar is planned for Muan Sports Park.
The Jeonnam Fire Headquarters held a press conference at Muan Airport, stating, “We believe that most of the 181 passengers have perished, except for two survivors.” They added, “Passengers were ejected from the aircraft after it collided with a perimeter wall.”
Firefighters have recovered 96 bodies and transported them to a temporary morgue. Two survivors, both crew members, have been identified: a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman. The male survivor is being treated at Mokpo Korean Hospital and will be transferred to Ewha Womans University Hospital in Seoul at his family’s request.
The aircraft is nearly unrecognizable except for its tail section, and the severe condition of the victims’ remains is complicating identification efforts.
A search operation involving approximately 700 personnel from various agencies, including firefighters, local authorities, police, and military units, is underway.
According to the Korea Airports Corporation and Jeonnam Fire Headquarters, Jeju Air flight 7C2216 from Bangkok crashed at 9:03 a.m. on Sunday while attempting to land on Muan Airport’s runway. The plane collided with the airport’s perimeter wall.
The aircraft reportedly carried 181 people, including six crew members, 173 South Koreans, and two Thai nationals.
Investigators suspect the crash occurred due to a landing gear failure, possibly caused by a bird strike that prevented the gear from deploying correctly.
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