At least 62 people were killed when an airliner veered off the runway and erupted into a huge ball of flames as it slammed to a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday.
But multiple sources put the number of people feared dead in the crash at 170.
According to BBC, South Korea’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, offered “deep condolences” to the families of those who died in the plane crash at Muan International Airport on Sunday.
Also, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday sent condolences to the families of those killed in a deadly plane crash in South Korea.
“We have received terrible news of a plane crash in South Korea with many fatalities. Our condolences go out to the families of those killed in the crash and we wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says: “On behalf of the Ukrainian people and myself, I extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, the people of Korea, and Acting President Choi Sang-mok. We share your sorrow and stand with the Korean people in this time of grief.”
However, the national fire agency said two people were rescued, according to Reuters which reported officials saying those rescued were crew members.
The crash occurred as Jeju Air flight 7C2216, carrying 175 passengers and six crew on a flight from the Thai capital Bangkok, was landing shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the airport in the south of the country, South Korea’s transport ministry said.
The ministry did not confirm the reports of casualties.
At least 58 bodies have been recovered but that number is not final, another fire official told Reuters.
Two people were found alive and rescue operations were under way, a Muan fire official said. Yonhap news agency said three people had been rescued.
Authorities were working to rescue people in the tail section, an airport official told Reuters shortly after the crash.
Video shared by local media showed the twin-engine aircraft skidding down the runway with no apparent landing gear before slamming into a wall in an explosion of flame and debris. Other photos showed smoke and fire engulfing parts of the plane.
Yonhap cited airport authorities as saying the landing gear may have malfunctioned due to a bird strike.
A passenger texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing, agency News1 reported. The person’s final message was, “Should I say my last words?”
Bird strike is among several theories that have not been verified, an official from the transport ministry’s aviation department said, adding that the investigation was ongoing.
The passengers included two Thai nationals and the rest are believed to be South Koreans, according to the transportation ministry.
The plane was a Boeing 737-800 jet operated by Jeju Air, which was seeking details of the accident, including its casualties and cause, an airline spokesperson said.
Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
All domestic and international flights at Muan airport had been cancelled, Yonhap reported.
Additional report: USA Today
