South Korea Plane Crash: 177 Dead and 2 Rescued at Muan Airport

At least 177 people have been confirmed dead after a plane crash at South Korea's Muan airport. The incident involved Jeju Air flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800, which was returning from Thailand. The aircraft veered off the runway while attempting to land in South Jeolla province, resulting in a fiery crash and triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

The crash, which occurred around 9 am, saw the plane crash into a fence after a failed belly landing attempt. It then erupted in flames, with thick black smoke rising from the wreckage. Emergency services quickly began operations, evacuating passengers from the rear section of the plane. 

Among the 181 people on board, 175 were passengers and six were crew members. Authorities managed to rescue two people, believed to be flight crew members, but two others remain missing. The recovery process has been slow, as the wreckage is almost completely destroyed. "The plane is almost completely destroyed, and identifying the dead is proving difficult. The process is taking time as we locate and recover the remains," a statement from Muan’s fire department said.

The crash is believed to have been caused by a combination of a bird strike and adverse weather conditions. According to officials, the birds caused a malfunction in the plane's landing gear. "Contact with birds, resulting in malfunctioning landing gear, coupled with adverse weather conditions" contributed to the crash, the fire department reported. The pilot issued a Mayday call two minutes before the crash, and three minutes later, the aircraft attempted to land after the control tower issued a bird strike warning.

Authorities have ruled out the possibility that a short runway caused the incident. The runway at Muan airport is 2,800 meters long, and similar-sized aircraft have used it without issues. "The runway is 2,800 meters long, and similar-sized aircraft have been operating on it without issues. It is unlikely that the runway length played a role in this incident," an official stated.

In response to the tragedy, President Choi Sang-mok instructed that all available resources be mobilized to assist with the rescue efforts. "All related agencies must mobilize all available resources to save the personnel," he said.

Jeju Air, South Korea’s largest low-cost carrier, expressed deep sorrow for the accident. "We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident. We sincerely apologize for causing concern," the airline said in a statement.