Seoul [South Korea], December 29 : The South Korean authorities on Sunday confirmed that 179 people were killed and two people were rescued out of 181 aboard following a plane crash in South Korea's Muan region, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning when a Jeju Air passenger jet, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, belly-landed and exploded at Muan International Airport, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
The aircraft veered off the runway while landing, with its landing gear not deployed, skidding across the ground, hitting a concrete wall, and bursting into flames.
The two rescued crew members were transported to hospitals in Seoul after receiving initial treatment.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the crash is now the deadliest aviation disaster on South Korean soil and the third most fatal involving a South Korean airline.
A firefighting agency official stated that the chances of survival were extremely low, as the collision threw passengers out of the aircraft, and the plane was almost destroyed.
"After the plane collided with the wall, passengers were thrown out of the aircraft. The chances of survival are extremely low," the firefighting agency official said as quoted by Yonhap News Agency.
"The aircraft has almost completely been destroyed, and it is difficult to identify the deceased...We are in the process of recovering the remains, which will take time," the official added.
The flight, which departed from Bangkok, was scheduled to land in Muan at 8:30 am (local time). A temporary mortuary has been set up at the airport to handle the victims' bodies.
According to Yonhap News Agency, investigators are looking into a potential bird strike causing a landing gear failure, which may have led to the accident. Authorities have recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok, also declared Muan County a special disaster zone and visited the crash site to direct search operations.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae further issued an apology and expressed condolences to the victims' families, taking full responsibility for the incident.
The airline has promised full support for the surviving families, including financial assistance, citing its USD 1 billion insurance plan.
"Regardless of the cause, I take full responsibility as the CEO," Kim said.
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