South Korea plane crash: Jeju Air cuts flights to ‘repair trust’ as outrage grows over airport wall
Jeju Air’s passenger plane smashed into a concrete wall after an emergency landing at Muan international airport in South Korea
Jeju Air's chief executive said the airline will reduce its winter air traffic by up to 15 per cent and aim to secure trust following the death of 179 people in the plane crash.
All 175 passengers and four of the six crew were killed when the Boeing 737-800 belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway at Muan International Airport on Sunday, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into an embankment.
South Korean officials were joined by a US probe team and officials from Boeing as they ramped up the investigation on Tuesday into the cause of its deadliest domestic air accident as police scrambled to identify victims.
Officials have also faced pointed questions about design features at the airport, particularly a large dirt-and-concrete embankment near the end of the runway used to support navigation equipment.
Experts said it seemed unlikely a bird strike would have been the sole cause of the landing gear malfunctioning.
Meanwhile, families of the victims have been camping out at the airport as they demand answers.
South Korea plane crash: Everything we know about country’s worst domestic air disaster
Distraught families want answers after 179 people die in South Korea’s deadliest domestic air disaster
Family members of South Korea plane crash victims call for help recovering loved ones
Moment South Korea plane skids along runway before fiery crash
In pics: Wreckage of the Jeju Air flight
Another Jeju Air jet experiences landing-gear issue - report
A 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.
Keir Starmer pays tribute
Sir 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.”
Watch: Moment South Korea plane skids along runway before fiery crash
A 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 crash
US investigators help South Korea in probe after crash
The 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.
Experts question bird strike claims
Experts 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.
Why did the South Korean Jeju Air flight crash? Experts question bird strike claims
King Charles and Queen ‘profoundly saddened’ by crash
The 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.”
Distraught families want answers after 179 people die
Grieving 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.
Families want answers after South Korea’s deadliest domestic air disaster
More than 140 victims identified
At 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.
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