A Jeju Air flight crashed in South Korea on Sunday morning, killing 179 passengers and crew members. Only two people survived, a male and female, both of whom were crew members, according to Fox News. Captured on video, the plane crash-landed and appeared to skid across the runway at Muan International Airport without using its landing gear, but it overshot and hit what appears to be some sort of wall or fence before exploding and bursting into flames.
According to CNN, it's the deadliest plane crash in South Korea since 1997, when a Korean Airlines Boeing 747 crashed in the Guam jungle, killing 228 people.
Fox reports that the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 passenger jet. The flight originated in Bangkok and crashed at the South Korean airport just after 9 a.m. Family members and friends gathered at the airport afterward, hoping for good news of their loved ones who were on board, but officials say that with the exception of the tail, the wreckage is so bad that the plane itself is almost unrecognizable.
The exact cause of the crash is unknown, though there are many theories. Several aviation experts have suggested that the landing gear malfunctioned, while Lee Jeong-hyun, the head of the Muan Fire Department, believes that bad weather or a bird strike possibly caused the crash. One passenger reportedly sent a text to a family member stating that a bird had hit the wing and that the plane couldn't land, backing up that theory. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that both of the plane's black boxes containing voice recordings and flight data have been recovered, but both Fox and CNN report that it could take months or even years to complete an investigation.
South Korea is currently in the midst of a political crisis, but acting president Choi Sang-mok declared a week of mourning that will last through January 4. He said that 17 memorial altars would be set up throughout the country. Joe Biden also issued a statement on the crash, offering help from the United States if necessary:
Jill and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life that occurred as a result of the Jeju Airlines accident in Muan, Republic of Korea. As close allies, the American people share deep bonds of friendship with the South Korean people and our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragedy. The United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance.
And the CEO of Jeju Air apologized and issued his condolences to the passengers and their families:
Muan International Airport, which is located about 180 miles south of Seoul, is currently closed. Jeju Air is South Korea's largest budget commercial airline, and this is its only crash since it was founded in 2005.
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