By Kolawole Ojebisi
Details have started emerging about the air mishap involving Jeju Air flight JT618 which happened at Muan International Airport, South Korea on Sunday morning.
The Boeing 737-800, a 15-year-old aircraft, was en route from Bangkok, Thailand, when it attempted an emergency belly landing.
Meanwhile according to the manifest of the flight and other details in possession of the aviation authorities, no fewer than 179 out of 181 people onboard the ill-fated flight have been confirmed dead.
The youngest victims include five children under the age of 10, with the youngest being a three-year-old boy. The oldest passenger was a 78-year-old.
The plane skidded across the runway, collided with a concrete wall, and erupted into a devastating fireball. Dramatic footage captured the aircraft being torn apart upon impact.
According to DailyMail UK, authorities have confirmed that 175 passengers and four crew members perished in the crash. Notably, two crew members – a man and a woman – were pulled alive from the wreckage and hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries.
South Korea’s acting President, Choi Sang-mok, has declared a national mourning period until 4 January. Families of the deceased gathered at the airport in anguish, some shouting at officials over delays in identifying their loved ones.
Twenty-two victims were identified through fingerprints, while 11 others were so severely injured that their gender could not be immediately determined.
The flight reportedly received a warning about a bird strike shortly before the crash. The incident has prompted heightened scrutiny into the circumstances leading to the tragedy.
Inside the airport, arrival boards were replaced with lists displaying the names, dates of birth, and nationalities of the victims. A temporary morgue was established to manage the large number of casualties.
The passengers comprised 82 men and 93 women, including 173 South Koreans and two Thais.
