Jeonnam Fire Department: "124 Dead in Muan Aircraft Accident... All-Out Effort for Recovery and Identification"

On the afternoon of the 29th, police and fire authorities are recovering bodies and objects fallen on the runway at the site of the aircraft crash at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam. Photo by Seo Youngseo

A passenger plane carrying 181 people crashed into the outer wall of Muan International Airport in Jeonnam after landing.

According to police and the National Fire Agency on the 29th, Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok, Thailand, was attempting a belly landing on the runway at Muan Airport when the accident occurred.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing B737-800, carrying a total of 181 people, including 175 passengers (173 Koreans and 2 Thais) and 6 crew members.

The fire authorities completed initial firefighting efforts at around 9:46 a.m. and rescued two crew members from the rear of the aircraft.

As of 3 p.m., 124 people were confirmed dead, and the identities of 12 have been verified. The number of casualties is expected to rise as victims from the front and middle sections of the aircraft are included.

Authorities believe that, except for the two rescued crew members, most of the passengers have died.

The Jeonnam Fire Headquarters is making every effort to recover the remaining passengers and identify the victims.

Jeonnam Police are also assisting with the identification of the deceased.

An official from the Jeonnam Police Agency stated, "We have established an investigation headquarters with 264 personnel in relation to the Muan aircraft accident."

The investigation headquarters will receive additional support from 131 forensic investigators and coroners nationwide to focus on managing the aftermath of the accident and promptly identifying the deceased.

The cause of the passenger plane disaster will be investigated by the Aviation Investigation Team of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board. The Jeonnam Police Agency's investigation headquarters will also assist in determining the cause of the accident.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is expected to conduct a comprehensive investigation, including whether there was a bird strike, landing gear issues, or other aircraft defects.

Initially, authorities plan to secure and review the control tower and CCTV footage, accident videos, the aircraft's black box, and flight data recorder for confirmation.

An official from the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters explained, "After the collision with the wall, passengers spilled onto the runway from the aircraft. The chances of survival are extremely low," adding, "It is difficult to identify the victims, so handing them over to families is not yet possible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.