South Korea Plane Crash Video: Jeju Air Flight Erupts in Fireball, 128 Dead

At least 124 people lost their lives when a Jeju Air flight belly-landed and veered off the runway at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, December 29, 2024. The aircraft erupted into a fireball as it slammed into a wall, according to the national fire agency.

Details of the Incident

Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from Bangkok with 181 people on board, was attempting to land shortly after 9 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) at Muan International Airport in the south. The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 skidded down the runway with no apparent landing gear before crashing into a wall and exploding into flames, reported Reuters.

#FlightCrash

Jeju Air Flight 2216 crash at Muan Airport in South Korea. 💔 179 lives lost 📷 2 survivors #SouthKorea #FlightCrash #Muan pic.twitter.com/OYmesSPEwE

— Ashok Panda (@ashokpanda1) December 29, 2024

Rescue and Recovery Efforts

Two crew members, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane. Muan fire chief Lee Jung-Hyun stated, “Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of the plane looks almost impossible to recognize”. Authorities have switched from rescue to recovery operations, searching nearby areas for bodies possibly thrown from the plane.

Eyewitness Accounts and Reactions

Hours after the crash, family members gathered in the airport’s arrival area, some crying and hugging as Red Cross volunteers handed out blankets. One relative stood at a microphone to ask for more information from authorities, saying, “My older brother died and I don’t know what’s going on”. Another asked journalists not to film, stating, “We are not monkeys in a zoo. We are the bereaved families”.

Investigation and Preliminary Findings

Investigators are investigating bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors behind the incident. The control tower had issued a bird strike warning, and shortly afterward, the pilots declared Mayday. A passenger texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing, with the final message being, “Should I say my last words?”.

This tragic accident marks the deadliest air incident involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades.

Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae expressed deep regret and offered heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families, stating, “Regardless of the cause, I take full responsibility as the CEO”. The airline has pledged to support the bereaved families and cooperate fully with the investigation.