The Jeju Air passenger flight, (Boeing 737-800), had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, and crash landed at an airport in the South Korean town of Muan.
News footage of the crash showed the plane skidding down the runway at great speed with its landing gear closed before colliding with a wall and exploding.
Eyewitnesses to the crash also confirmed seeing a ‘series of explosions’ and ‘metallic scraping
The Jeju Air plane crashed in Muan Airport in South Korea (Twitter)
The BBC confirmed that 175 people, including four crew members, were killed in the crash – with some still awaiting identification. Currently, 88 victims have been identified thus far.
Two crew members have been reported as being the only survivors, with one of them reportedly going on to talk about a flock of birds after they were pulled from the wreckage, The Guardian reports.
According to the BBC, some of family members have since spoken out.
One man called Maeng Gi-su, 78, spoke to the outlet about his nephew and his two sons, who had been on the flight.
According to Maeng, the family had gone to celebrate the youngest child’s college entrance exams, and their father had taken them away as a treat.
He said: “I can’t believe the entire family has just disappeared. My heart aches so much.”
BBC correspondents also described hearing weeping on the first floor of Muan International Airport as families grieved their losses.
Families have been grieving in the airport (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
One woman, whose surname was Kim, spoke to Yonhap News Agency and revealed that her sister had been on the flight, telling them (via The Korea Times): “She’s had so many hardships and gone traveling because her situation was only just beginning to improve.”
Yonhap also reported that some had gathered to listen to an update from officials, according to the BBC, with a person asking: “Is there no possibility of survival at all?”
To which chief of Muan fire department Lee Jeong-hyeon replied: “Regrettably, it appears so,”
The airport authorities and the Red Cross set up more than a dozen yellow tents for bereaved families, where they were given wool blankets to keep warm.
Yonhap News Agency also reports that the ages of the passengers range from three to 78-years-old, however, most were in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
The transport ministry said that a distress signal had been sent out from the plane before it landed, with the plane’s black boxes, which include flight data and cockpit recording, having been recovered and will be studied to determine the cause of the crash.
Witnesses to the South Korean plane crash have described what they heard and saw before the crash.
The Jeju Air passenger plane, (Boeing 737-800) had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, before arriving at Muan Airport in South Korea early this morning at 9:03am local time.
Footage of the plane’s descent shows the Jeju Air plane skidding down the runway with it’s landing gear appearing to still be closed before crashing into a wall and bursting into flames.
The Jeju Air plane skidded on the runway before exploding (Twitter)
Carrying 181 passengers and crew, the fire station confirmed that at least 177 people died as a result of the crash, while two survivors, reported by Sky News to have been two crew members, were able to be pulled from the plane’s tail section.
It was previously reported that 174 people died in the plane crash – 83 women, 80 men and 11 people who were not immediately identifiable, however, the death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
Eyewitnesses to the crash have since described hearing multiple explosions and flames in the plane’s engine.
The death toll has risen to 176 (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
According to Yonhap News Agency and the BBC, a witness named Cho said: “I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light.
“Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions.”
Meanwhile, Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was close to the airport where he was staying, told Yonhap that he saw a spark on the right wing before the plane crashed.
“I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion.” they said.
Another witness, Kim Yong-cheol, said he heard ‘metallic scraping’ twice five minutes before hearing a ‘loud explosion’ and seeing ‘black smoke billowing into the sky’.
A distress signal had been sent out from the plane before it landed, and the plane’s black boxes, which include flight data and cockpit recording, has been recovered and will be studied to determine the cause of the explosion, the transport ministry have said.
Witnesses recalled hearing a ‘series of explosions’ (Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Korean transport ministry officials also say that the airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it landed and also gave the aircraft permission to land elsewhere.
According to The Guardian, ministers shared that one of the surviving crew members had mentioned a bird strike after being rescued.
Jeju Air offered a ‘deep apology’ over the crash and in a statement and claimed it would do the ‘utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident’, and the company’s president, Kim E-bae, said that he feels ‘full responsibility’ for the crash. Although he says that no mechanical problems with the plane were noted during routine checks, Kim says will wait for the results of a government investigation to determine the cause and apologised to the families of the deceased.
Featured Image Credit: Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images/ Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
