Deadly plane crash in South Korea: What we know about cause and victims
Photo: a passenger plane crashed in South Korea (nfa.go.kr)
A major plane crash occurred in South Korea on December 29. There were over 180 people on board the aircraft, and it is believed that only two survivors remain.
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Details of the plane crash
The crash occurred at approximately 9:07 AM local time (around 2:00 AM Kyiv time) on December 29 at the Muan International Airport in South Korea.
The Boeing 737-800, operated by Jeju Air, was on flight 7C2216. The plane was en route from Bangkok (the capital of Thailand) to Muan, 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 the South Korean Ministry of Transport, among the passengers were two Thai nationals, with the rest being South Korean citizens.
A video of the crash moment has been published online. The footage shows that the landing gear failed to deploy properly when the aircraft made an emergency landing. The plane skidded off the runway, crashed into an outer wall of the airport, and caught fire.
What is known about the victims
South Korean media report that 179 people are likely to have died as a result of the crash. According to the South Korean fire service, two individuals were found alive— a female passenger and a crew member. They have been hospitalized.
It has now been reliably confirmed that 94 people have died. The whereabouts of the others remain unknown.
Photo: Passenger plane crashes in South Korea (en.yna.co.kr)
Rescuers report that they are continuing to search for people 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, and identifying the victims is difficult. It will take time to find and recover the remains," said a fire service spokesperson in a comment to the media.
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 likely malfunctioned due to a possible collision with a flock of birds.
The footage capturing the moment of the crash shows that the landing gear failed to deploy properly during the landing.
It is also speculated that one of the engines may have failed, or the aircraft's indicators could have been damaged. Other theories suggest that adverse weather conditions might have contributed to the crash.
Plane crash in Kazakhstan
On December 25, a passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan. The Embraer 190 aircraft was en route from Baku to Grozny.
There were 67 people on board, 38 of whom died, including the pilots.
It is believed that the plane may have been shot down by Russian air defense in Grozny. According to the head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, the aircraft was downed by a Pantsir S1 air defense system on Russian territory.
The President of Azerbaijan stated that the plane's crash was caused by external interference. However, Russia denies having shot down the passenger plane.
For more details on the plane crash in Kazakhstan and how Russia is attempting to avoid responsibility, read the full article on RBC-Ukraine.
