US and South Korea investigators to begin looking into cause of plane crash that left 179 dead
A team of US and South Korean investigators are to set to begin looking into the cause of the plane crash that left 179 people dead at Muan International Airport.
The disaster on Sunday is the worst plane crash in South Korea’s history – with the youngest victim a three-year-old boy, according to a list of passengers seen by local media outlets.
South Korea’s transport ministry has said the pilot reported that his aircraft had suffered a bird strike as he called a mayday before the tragedy.
The Jeju Air flight, a Boeing 737-800 jet, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew when it crashed at the airport in the south of the country after departing from Bangkok.
It was making a second attempt at a crash landing after its landing gear failed to open when it veered off a runway and struck a wall, bursting into flames.
Two crew members who were at the rear of the plane when it came down were the only survivors.
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Airplane seats and magazines strewn on runway
Relatives of those who were on board have gathered at the airport to await confirmation of the death of their loved ones.
Many of the bodies can only be identified through DNA testing and fingerprints.
Among those that have been already been identified are four bodies that will be released to funeral homes following consultations with their bereaved families, South Korea’s ministry of land, infrastructure and transport (MOLIT) has said.
As it happened: South Korea plane crash updates
A woman prays at a memorial altar for the victims of the Jeju Air crash. REUTERS/Kim Hong-ji
Three of the bodies have been released to funeral homes in the southwestern city of Gwangju while one has been released to a home in the capital in Seoul, the ministry added.
It comes as the remaining 175 bodies are being kept in 11 refrigerated containers in a temporary morgue at the airport, which will be closed until 5am local time on 7 January while the accident investigation takes place.
The relatives of all those who died are being supported by more than 60 psychological experts, MOLIT said.
Meanwhile, a team of 11 investigators from South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board will be looking into the cause of the disaster with eight investigators from the US.
The American team is made up of one investigator from the US Federal Aviation Administration, three investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and four people from the aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
It comes as an analysis centre is checking the condition of the aircraft’s black box.
MOLIT said: “A comprehensive investigation is being conducted on the maintenance history of major systems such as engines and landing gears, and the status of operation and maintenance records of the aircraft for six airlines operating the same type of aircraft as the accident aircraft.”
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Rescuers work at the wreckage of the aircraft. Pic: Reuters
Birds may have ‘struck engine’
The pilot’s mayday call came as a passenger had texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing of the plane, News1 reported.
Their final message was said to have been: “Should I say my last words?”
Just two days before the crash, a passenger claiming to have travelled on the same plane said it had an engine shut down as people were boarding, according to Sky’s correspondent in the region, referencing Yonhap News Agency.
A passenger who boarded the Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 said: “I was on the same plane at the time and the engine shut off several times.”
World
Ukraine war: 14 killed as Russian missile and drone attacks strike Kyiv – including American citizen
Russian missile and drone attacks have killed 14 people in Kyiv overnight, according to Ukrainian officials.
A 62-year-old US citizen who suffered shrapnel wounds is among the dead.
At least 99 others were wounded in strikes that hollowed out a residential building and destroyed dozens of apartments.
Pic: AP
Emergency workers were at the scene to rescue people from under the rubble.
Images show a firefighter was among those hurt, with injured residents evacuated from their homes.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as “one of the most terrifying attacks on Kyiv” – and said Russian forces had fired 440 drones and 32 missiles as civilians slept in their homes.
“[Putin] wants the war to go on,” he said. “It is troubling when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to it.”
Pic: AP
Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said 27 locations across the capital have been hit – including educational institutions and critical infrastructure.
He claimed the attack, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, was one of the largest on the capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Drones swarmed over the city, with an air raid alert remaining in force for seven hours.
One person was killed and 17 others injured as a result of separate Russian drone strikes in the port city of Odesa.
Pic: Reuters
It comes as the G7 summit in Canada continues, which Ukraine’s leader is expected to attend.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold talks with Donald Trump – but the president has announced he is unexpectedly returning to Washington because of tensions in the Middle East.
Ukraine’s foreign minister says Moscow’s decision to attack Kyiv during the summit is a signal of disrespect to the US.
Moscow has launched a record number of drones and missiles in recent weeks, and says the attacks are in retaliation for a Ukrainian operation that targeted warplanes in airbases deep within Russian territory.
Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko says fires broke out in two of the city’s districts as a result of debris from drones shot down by the nation’s air defences.
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Pic: AP
On X, Ukraine’s foreign ministry wrote: “Russia’s campaign of terror against civilians continues. Its war against Ukraine escalates with increased brutality.
“The only way to stop Russia is tighter pressure – through sanctions, more defence support for Ukraine, and limiting Russia’s ability to keep sowing war.”
Olena Lapyshnak, who lived in one of the destroyed buildings, said: “It’s horrible, it’s scary, in one moment there is no life. I can only curse the Russians, that’s all I can say. They shouldn’t exist in this world.”
World
Israeli tank shelling kills 51 people waiting for aid in Khan Younis, Hamas-run health ministry says
Israeli tank shellfire has killed at least 51 Palestinians in Khan Younis, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
Hundreds of others have been injured, with “dozens of critical cases” arriving at a medical complex.
It is feared that the number of fatalities will rise.
Pic: Reuters
The strikes took place as people waited for United Nations and commercial aid trucks in the southern Gaza city.
Witnesses said that Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire toward the crowd.
“Emergency, intensive care, and operating rooms are experiencing severe overcrowding,” a statement said.
Officials say medical staff “are operating with limited supplies of life-saving medicines” – with the ministry renewing an “urgent appeal” to increase aid.
Pic: Reuters
Hours earlier, Donald Trump had joined other G7 leaders to call for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza”.
The Israeli military is yet to comment on this incident.
On Monday, Gaza’s health ministry said at least 34 people were shot dead near food distribution centres.
This was the highest reported daily total since Israel and US-backed aid centres opened last month, with thousands of Palestinians moving through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach them.
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