A devastating plane crash at South Korea’s Muan Airport has left 179 dead. A Jeju Air flight veered off the runway during landing. The Boeing 737-8AS, operating as Flight 2216, was returning from Thailand when it crashed into a fence and burst into flames. Authorities said there are only two survivors. The crash, reported in South Jeolla Province, occurred about 9 a.m.
The aircraft was carrying 181 people, including 175 passengers and six crew members. It failed to land safely after a reported “belly landing attempt.”
Visuals from the scene showed thick black smoke billowing above the site as emergency staff worked tirelessly to extinguish the flames and evacuate passengers. Preliminary investigations suggest the crash was caused by bird strikes that damaged the landing gear, exacerbated by poor weather conditions.
South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok called for an immediate and full-scale response to the disaster. “All related agencies must mobilise all available resources to save the personnel,” he urged in a statement.
Meanwhile, Jeju Air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost carriers, issued an apology. “We sincerely apologise for causing concern and will do everything in our power in response to this accident,” the airline stated on social media.
Established in 2005, Jeju Air has maintained a strong safety record until now. This crash marks the airline’s first fatal accident. The aircraft involved, acquired from European budget carrier Ryanair in 2017, was part of the airline’s fleet expansion efforts. Previously, Jeju Air faced a non-fatal runway incident in 2007 when a Bombardier Q400 skidded off the runway in Busan, injuring a dozen passengers.
This incident follows another plane crash earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 crashed in Kazakhstan near the city of Aktau, killing 38 people. The plane caught fire after diverting from southern Russia, where Ukrainian drone attacks were reportedly underway. Russian President Vladimir Putin later apologised to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev for the “tragic incident,” attributing the crash to complications caused by nearby aerial defenses repelling drone attacks.
