South Korea’s ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol has offered his “deepest condolences and sympathy” to those who lost loved ones in the crash.
Yoon was impeached after imposing martial law in South Korea. The huge political crisis also saw the impeachment of acting president Han Duck-soo, who has been suspended from duty.
“I extend my deepest condolences and sympathy to those who lost their precious lives and to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones,” Yoon said in a Facebook post.
“I am overwhelmed with grief and sorrow,” he added.
“I trust that the government will do its utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident and support the victims. I also urge everyone to prioritise the safety of firefighters and all rescue personnel amid these urgent circumstances.
“I will stand with the people to help overcome this difficult situation as quickly as possible.”
South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok visited the site a few hours after the crash and declared it a special disaster zone.
He said: “The government would like to offer its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and will do its best to recover from this accident and prevent a recurrence.”
Both black boxes recovered
Workers have recovered both black boxes from the wreckage of the jet – the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, according to the transport ministry.
It said eight aviation accident investigators and nine aviation safety supervisors have arrived at the site of the accident and are conducting an initial investigation.
A senior transport ministry official said the runway at the airport in Muan will be closed until New Year’s Day.
It comes as the number killed rose to 177.
Witness says plane collided with flock of birds
A witness to the crash said the plane appeared to have suffered engine problems after colliding with a flock of birds.
Jeong, 50, told Yonhap news agency the plane collided head-on with a flock of birds while descending to land.
Jeong said some of the birds appeared to have been sucked into the engine.
He said he heard two or three “pop” sounds and saw flames coming out of the right engine.
Foreign secretary ‘deeply saddened’ by news of plane crash and offers ‘heartfelt condolences’
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he is “deeply saddened” by news of the plane crash and has offered his “heartfelt condolences”.
You can read his post on X here:
What is Jeju Air and what is its safety record?
Jeju Air is South Korea’s largest low-cost airline, with more than 12.3m passengers last year.
Formed in 2005, the company is named after Jeju Island – located to the south of the Korean Peninsula – which is home to the airline’s headquarters.
The company has more than 3,000 employees and more than 40 aircraft, most of them Boeing 737-800s – a model widely used around the world.
South Korea is well-regarded in safety terms and is rated Category 1 in the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) International Aviation Safety Assessment Program.
Meanwhile, Jeju Air received an “A” – “very good” – safety grade in the latest South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s annual review of domestic airlines, according to the New York Times.
Youngest victim was a three-year-old
The youngest victim of the crash was a three-year-old boy, according to a list of passengers seen by local media outlets.
Five of those killed in the crash were children under the age of 10.
The oldest was a man aged 78.
Flock of birds ‘covered the runway sky’ before crash, airport employee says
A flock of birds “covered the runway sky” before the crash, an airport employee has told local media.
“[Before the accident] in the morning, a flock of birds flew in to the point of covering the sky [over the airport runway],” they said.
“All the employees said it was the first time they had seen so many birds. They suddenly flew in from outside the airport. This doesn’t usually happen.”
Investigators are still looking into the cause of the crash, including a possible bird strike.
Transport ministry officials have said their early assessment of communication records show the airport control tower issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land and one of the two surviving members of crew said the cause of crash was “presumed to have been a bird strike” (see 8.40am post).
South Korea declares seven-day national mourning period
South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok has declared a seven-day national mourning period over the plane crash.
All remaining missing passengers confirmed dead
All of the plane’s 181 passengers have been accounted for with 179 killed in the crash and two rescued from the wreckage, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing rescue authorities.
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