South Korea plane crash: Black boxes recovered (update)
The incident occurred at 9:07 a.m. when the Jeju Air flight, returning from Bangkok, failed to land properly.
KATHMANDU: South Korea’s transport ministry said on Sunday that its investigation unit secured both black boxes — the flight data and voice recorders — from a passenger jet that crashed while landing at an airport in the southwest of the country earlier in the day.
A passenger jet carrying 181 people erupted in flames after veering off the runway and crashing into a wall at Muan International Airport in South Korea’s southwestern Muan County on Sunday.
Authorities confirmed that all but two passengers are presumed dead.
The incident occurred at 9:07 a.m. when the Jeju Air flight, returning from Bangkok, failed to land properly.
It skidded off the runway and collided with a concrete wall at the airport, located in South Jeolla Province, about 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
Of the 181 people on board, including six crew members, only two survivors—a passenger and a crew member, both women—were rescued.
The remaining individuals are believed to have perished, with firefighting authorities shifting to body recovery operations.
As of now, 124 fatalities have been confirmed.
Authorities suspect that the failure of the landing gear, possibly due to a bird strike, may have contributed to the crash.
Investigations are underway to determine the precise cause.
