A devastating aviation disaster at South Korea's Muan International Airport has claimed 179 lives, with only two crew members surviving after a passenger jet crashed during landing on Sunday morning.
The survivors include a male crew member currently receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries in intensive care, and a female crew member who is also recovering from non-critical injuries, according to Health Ministry officials' Sunday evening briefing.
The incident occurred when Jeju Air Flight 2216, arriving from Bangkok, veered off the runway and collided with a wall during its landing attempt around 9 a.m. local time.
The Boeing 737 aircraft was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, as confirmed by the Korean Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport. While initial casualty reports were conservative, the death toll rose significantly throughout the day, according to the National Fire Agency.
Officials report that victim identification efforts are ongoing, with 141 of 179 victims identified through fingerprint and DNA analysis, while 38 remain unidentified.
Identification has been complicated by severe bodily trauma in some cases, making fingerprint recognition impossible. For younger victims, the lack of existing fingerprint records necessitates family DNA matching procedures.
Initial investigation findings from the transport ministry reveal that the control tower had warned of a potential bird strike before the crash. The ministry reported that approximately one minute after this warning, the pilot issued a mayday distress call, following which landing clearance was granted.
The Air and Railway Investigation Committee confirmed the recovery of both "black boxes" from the crash site. While the cockpit voice recorder was found intact, the flight data recorder sustained partial damage, investigators noted.
Officials estimate that decoding the FDR data could take approximately one month. However, if the damage proves extensive, the device may need to be sent to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, potentially extending the analysis to over six months.
Video footage from the incident suggests the landing gear was not deployed during touchdown, potentially indicating technical failure, and shows the aircraft approaching at high velocity. Witness recordings captured intense flames and dense black smoke rising from the crash site.
Authorities confirmed the aircraft was completely consumed by fire by 1 p.m. local time. A temporary morgue facility was established at the airport.
The National Fire Agency updated the death toll to 176 by 8 p.m., comprising 83 female and 82 male victims, with 11 bodies pending identification. The passenger manifest indicated five children under age 10 were aboard, including a 3-year-old.
Early reports presented conflicting information about survivor numbers.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden expressed their condolences in a statement Sunday afternoon, noting they were "deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life" and offering American assistance.
Operating an exclusive Boeing fleet, Jeju Air is a South Korean budget airline with 42 aircraft and approximately 3,000 employees.
The airline posted an English-language statement on its website: "We deeply apologize to all those affected by the incident at Muan Airport. We will make every effort to resolve the situation. We sincerely regret the distress caused."
The company's website replaced its signature orange logo with a black version in mourning.
The NTSB announced on X that it's "leading a team of U.S. investigators (NTSB, Boeing and FAA) to assist the Republic of Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB)" in investigating the crash, noting that the ARAIB would handle information releases "per international protocols."
A Boeing spokesperson informed ABC News that the company was maintaining contact with Jeju Air and "standing ready to support them," adding, "We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew."
The crash occurred near Muan, a southwestern South Korean city with approximately 90,000 residents.