South Korea has promised to investigate the plane crash that killed 179 persons, with full inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft by airlines in the nation. The Sunday crash was the deadliest disaster on South Korean airspace in decades, sending shockwaves in the nation, already reeling from a political crisis which saw the impeachment of both President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Han Duk-soo.
What We Know About the Survivors
There were only two survivors, a man and a woman, who are crew members on board the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800. The plane crashed after skidding off the runway, hitting a wall, and bursting into flames. Among the 181 people on board, 146 bodies have been identified, and authorities are collecting DNA and fingerprint samples for the remaining victims.
The survivors who are being treated in different Seoul hospitals are the flight attendant and a male member of the flight crew. “One of them was treated for fractures to the ribs, scapula and upper spine, said Ju Woong, a director at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, who said that the man ‘woke up to find (himself) rescued.” The second survivor, 25-year-old flight attendant Koo, is also doing well but had not been listed in intensive care. Both survivors escaped life-threatening injuries and regained consciousness in the hospital, though neither remembers the events following the crash.
Details of the Crash
Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 had departed from Bangkok and was attempting to land at Muan International Airport when it experienced an initial failed landing attempt. The Boeing 737-800 plane received a bird strike warning from ground control, and the pilot issued a distress signal before the plane came down with its front landing gear still retracted. The aircraft overshot the runway, hit a concrete fence, and erupted in flames.
Investigators believe that the probable cause of the crash was the malfunctioning landing gear, though videos indicated possible engine trouble.
Ongoing Investigation
As South Korean authorities released the bodies of the victims to their families on Tuesday, investigators were working to pinpoint the exact cause of the crash. US investigators, which included Boeing representatives, arrived in Muan to assist in the inquiry. The South Korean authorities also retrieved two black boxes from the wreckage for their investigation.
