The Korean Fire Agency said that of the 181 people on the Jeju Air flight from Bangkok, 179 died after the plane crashed during an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea on the morning of December 29, according to Yonhap News.
Rescue teams are continuing to search the wreckage, where many bodies are still inside the fuselage. Two survivors, one passenger and one crew member, have been pulled out of the rear and are being treated at a nearby hospital.
The Boeing 737-800 attempted a belly landing at around 9:03 a.m. local time after the plane's landing gear was believed to have failed to deploy.
The witnesses said they heard a loud "sms" before the plane crashed into the wall surrounding the airport, breaking into two pieces and burning up.
Local TV station MBC aired footage that appeared to show a bird collision while the plane was downgrading. An investigation into the cause of the accident is still underway.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae has officially apologized.
"First of all, we bow our heads and apologize to all those who have trusted Jeju Air. At around 9:03 a.m. on December 29, flight 7C2216 from Bangkok to Muan caught fire when landing at Muan International Airport.
First of all, we would like to express our deepest condolences and apologies to the families of the passengers who died in this accident. Currently, the cause of the accident has not been determined and we have to wait for the official investigation results from the relevant government agencies.
Regardless of the cause, as CEO, I feel deeply responsible for this incident. Jeju Air will do everything possible to promptly handle the accident and support the families of those on board. We will also do our best to determine the cause of the accident with the cooperation of the government.
Once again, we pray for those who died in this accident and send our deepest apologies to their families."
This is South Korea's worst domestic civil aviation disaster and marks the first major casualty incident involving a low-cost airline in the country's history, according to JoongAng Ilbo.
Previous major plane crashes in South Korea include the 1993 Asiana Airlines crash in Mokpo that killed 68 people and the 2002 Air China crash near Gimhae Airport that killed 129 of the 166 passengers.
