Plane crash in South Korea: a tragic toll and ongoing investigation

On December 29, 2024, a Jeju Air plane crashed at Muan Airport in South Korea while attempting to land. Flight JJA-2216, coming from Bangkok, was carrying 181 people, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. According to the final toll, 179 people lost their lives, and only two crew members survived.

A brutal crash during landing
The accident occurred at 9:03 a.m. local time (1:03 a.m. in Paris) as the plane began its descent toward Muan International Airport, located about 300 km south of Seoul. Videos broadcast by South Korean channel MBC show the aircraft, a Boeing 737-8AS, belly-landing with smoke coming from the engines. The plane appeared to have lost its landing gear before skidding off the runway, hitting a concrete wall, and bursting into flames.

The likely cause: a collision with birds
Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident may have been caused by a collision with birds, combined with unfavorable weather conditions. The aircraft had issued a distress signal after an initial landing attempt, and air traffic control had warned the crew about a bird strike. Moments before the crash, one of the passengers sent a message to a relative stating that a bird had gotten stuck in the wing of the plane.

Rescue efforts, but a heavy toll
When the rescue teams arrived, the plane was almost entirely destroyed, with the exception of the tail. Dozens of firefighters and emergency vehicles were deployed to control the fire and evacuate the victims’ bodies, which were found wrapped in blue sheets. The two survivors, a 33-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, were pulled from the burning wreckage, but both suffered serious injuries.

Reactions and accountability
Jeju Air offered its apologies and expressed its deepest condolences on its social media platforms. The company’s CEO, Kim I-bae, took responsibility for the accident, emphasizing that the exact cause had yet to be determined. This marks the first fatal accident in the airline’s history, which was founded in 2005. Boeing also expressed solidarity and assured that it was ready to assist the authorities and the airline.

This tragic incident is the deadliest in South Korea’s history, surpassing a previous accident from 2002. Local authorities are continuing to investigate the exact circumstances of this disaster, while the country and the world mourn the victims.