Major airline disaster in South Korea: what we know about the causes and the number of casualties.
A major aviation disaster occurred in South Korea on December 29. More than 180 people were on board the plane that crashed, with only two likely to have survived.
What is known about the tragic aviation disaster in South Korea is detailed in the article by RBK-Ukraine below.
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Details of the aviation disaster
The accident occurred at approximately 9:07 local time (around 2:00 Kyiv time) on December 29 at the Muan International Airport in South Korea.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft of Jeju Air was on flight 7C2216. The plane was traveling from Bangkok (the capital of Thailand) to Muan, which is located 288 km southwest of Seoul.
It has been confirmed that there were 181 people on board: 175 passengers and 6 crew members. According to South Korea's Ministry of Transport, among the passengers were two citizens of Thailand, while the rest were South Korean nationals.
Footage of the crash has been shared online. The videos show that the landing gear did not align properly when the plane made an emergency landing. The aircraft rolled off the runway, collided with the airport's outer wall, and caught fire.
What is known about the victims
South Korean media reports indicate that 179 people are likely to have died as a result of the crash. According to South Korea's fire service, two individuals were found alive: a passenger and a crew member. They have been hospitalized.
As of 9:00, the confirmed death toll stands at 124, with others reported missing.
Updated at 11:40. Reuters reported that the number of confirmed fatalities from the aviation disaster in South Korea has risen to 167.
Updated at 14:40. All 179 victims' bodies have been discovered at the crash site in South Korea.
This marks the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korean history. The bodies are being identified through fingerprint analysis.
Photo: A passenger plane has crashed in South Korea (en.yna.co.kr)
Rescue teams indicate that they are continuing to search for individuals in the tail section of the aircraft.
"Passengers were ejected from the plane after it collided with a fence. The chances of survival are virtually nonexistent. The fuselage is nearly completely destroyed, making it difficult to identify the deceased. It will take time to locate and recover the remains," said a fire service representative in a media comment.
Preliminary cause of the crash
Preliminary assessments suggest that the crash may have been caused by a failure of the aircraft's landing gear mechanism, which could have malfunctioned due to a possible collision with a flock of birds.
In the footage capturing the moment of the accident, it is noticeable that the landing gear did not align correctly at the time of landing.
It is also speculated that one of the engines may have failed or that the aircraft's indicators were damaged. Other theories suggest that adverse weather conditions could have contributed to the crash.
Sources used in the preparation of this material include: Yonhap News, CNN, Reuters.
Aviation disaster in Kazakhstan
Recall that on December 25, a passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan. The Embraer 190 was flying from Baku to Grozny.
There were 67 people on board the aircraft, of which 38 perished, including the pilots.
It is known that the plane may have been shot down by Russian air defense in Grozny. According to the head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, the aircraft was downed by the "Pantsir-S1" air defense system on Russian territory.
The President of Azerbaijan stated that the plane crashed due to external interference. However, Russia denies that it shot down the passenger aircraft.
For more details on the aviation disaster in Kazakhstan and how Russia is attempting to evade responsibility, refer to the article by RBK-Ukraine.