South Korea in mourning as Jeju Air crash investigators look for answers

South Korea in mourning as Jeju Air crash investigators look for answers
Muan International Airport / CC SA - 4.0 - LERK
By bno - Taipei Office December 30, 2024

South Korea is in mourning as it has now been confirmed that 179 of the 181 on board Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Bangkok to Muan in Korea have been killed as was reported by bno IntelliNews on Sunday, December 29.

All passengers on board the flight were killed with the two survivors understood to be flight crew seated near the rear of the plane.

Officials in Korea are now saying that the plane did pull our of a first effort to land the plane because of birds in the area. However, it has not been confirmed yet to what extent birds played in later preventing the aircraft from lowering its landing gear and eventually skidding into a wall before bursting into flames.

The aircraft did make a mayday call and was allowed to land in the opposite direction to other flights landing in Muan.

At least one report has suggested that a passenger on board the plane sent a message to a family member indicated a bird strike as was initially claimed in the hours following the crash. No official confirmation of this has yet been made, but investigations are now underway in Korea as condolences pour in from around the region and the wider world.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok, rushed from Seoul to the crash site on Sunday afternoon and was quick to offer his condolences to the victims of the crash as well as ordering immediate investigations into the cause of the crash.

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