Update: 179 Killed, 2 Survived in Jeju Air Plane Crash in Muan

SEAToday.com, Seoul - Authorities confirmed 179 casualties from the Jeju Air plane crash in Muan, South Korea, Sunday (12/29) morning local time. Two crew members were rescued.

Jeju Air plane with flight number 7C 2216 carrying 181 people crashed and burned after skidding off the runway and crashing into a wall at Muan International Airport, South Korea, on Sunday (29/12) morning local time.

The tragedy occurred at 9:07 a.m. when the Boeing 737-800 aircraft en route from Bangkok failed to land safely in Muan, South Jeolla Province, about 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The plane reportedly attempted to land without using landing gear, skidded on the ground, and hit a concrete wall before exploding into flames.

The crash is the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korean history, and the worst involving a local airline since Korean Air's 1997 Guam crash that killed 225 people.

They said search operations would resume overnight to find the two people still missing. Earlier, authorities said they had identified 22 victims.

“After the plane hit the wall, the passengers were thrown out of the plane. The possibility of survival is very small,” said a fire service official.

“The plane was almost completely destroyed, and it is difficult to identify the deceased,” the official said. “We are in the process of recovering the bodies, which will take a long time.”

The 181 people were aboard the Boeing 737-800 plane that had departed from Bangkok at 1:30 a.m. It was scheduled to arrive in Muan at around 8:30 a.m. The passengers were all Koreans, except for two Thai nationals.

The passengers on board were 82 men and 93 women, ranging in age from three to 78, with many in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

A temporary morgue has been set up at Muan airport to accommodate the victims.

Officials suspect the accident was caused by landing gear failure, potentially due to a bird strike, and have launched an on-site investigation to confirm the details. Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered, but determining the exact cause may take months.