179 confirmed dead in South Korea Jeju Air plane crash
The only survivors of Jeju Air flight 7C2216 were two crew members rescued from the tail section of the plane
Two crew members rescued from the tail section were the only survivors when a Boeing 737 carrying 181 people crash-landed without wheels, veered off the runway and erupted in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday.
Jeju Air flight 7C2216 from the Thai capital of Bangkok had attempted to land shortly after 9am at the airport in the southwest of the country, according to South Korea’s transport ministry.
The two crew members – a man and a woman – among a team of six were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane, Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told a briefing. The fire was extinguished as of 1pm, Lee said.
“Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of [the plane] looks almost impossible to recognise,” he said.
The passengers were predominantly South Korean, as well as two Thai nationals.
Authorities switched from rescue to recovery operations and because of the force of the impact, searched nearby areas for bodies possibly thrown from the plane, Lee added.
The two crew members received hospital treatment for medium to severe injuries, according to the head of the local public health centre.
