(6th Update) South Jeolla Fire Service confirmed that of the 181 people aboard the Jeju Air flight involved in the horrible Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea, 179 died, leaving only two survivors, both crew members.
Emergency responders said that only two survivors remain—a male and a female crew member—rescued from the aircraft’s tail section.
Authorities added that 84 males and 85 females are among the dead, while the genders of 10 individuals remain unconfirmed.
Seoul’s national fire agency reported that the plane erupted into flames after it veered off the runway and slammed into a wall on Sunday, December 29.
Video footage captured the aircraft skidding across the runway without visible landing gear before it slammed into a barrier, triggering a massive explosion.
Authorities said the ill-fated Flight 7C2216, a Boeing 737-800 carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, flew in from Bangkok, Thailand, when the incident occurred at approximately 9 a.m.
Reuters reported amid the wreckage, rescuers pulled two survivors—both crew members—to safety, while Yonhap news agency reported that they rescued three individuals.
Rescue teams continue to search the wreckage, particularly in the tail section, where they believe more passengers might still be trapped.
Flights status
The crash grounded all flights at Muan International Airport, temporarily cancelling all travel operations. The Ministry of Transport confirmed that most of the passengers were South Koreans, with two Thai nationals also aboard the Jeju Air flight.
South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered emergency responders to launch an all-out rescue operation. His office convened an emergency meeting to expedite the resolution of the unforeseen incident.
Jeju Air, the operator of the aircraft, stated that it is working to determine the cause of the crash, which happened amid heavy holiday air traffic.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing have yet to comment on the incident.
Meanwhile, Jeju Air’s management has already issued an apology for following the Muan Airport crash of one of its flights.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.