A haunting scene unfolded on Sunday morning as a Jeju Air flight crashed near Muan International Airport in South Korea, resulting in at least 179 fatalities out of 181 people on board. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, was en route from Bangkok when it attempted to land just after 9 am but veered off the runway, crashing into a fence and bursting into flames. The scene was filled with heart-wrenching grief as the families of the victims rushed to the airport, fearing the worst.
Among the countless tragic stories that emerged, one particularly stood out: a family received a text from a loved one just minutes before the crash. “Should I say my last words?” the message read. Prior to this, the passenger had shared that a bird had been stuck to the plane’s wing, hinting at a possible malfunction. The final message, now forever etched in the minds of the family, was chillingly prophetic.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the jet descending with visible flames coming from its engine, followed by loud explosions. “I saw the plane descending, and then there was a flash of light, followed by a loud bang and smoke,” one witness recalled, as he watched from 4.5 kilometers away. Another eyewitness heard the sound of metal scraping and saw the plane trying and failing to land, before hearing the explosion that marked the end of the flight.
Emergency teams and investigators rushed to the scene, but the intensity of the crash left little to identify except for the charred remains of the plane’s tail. The search for scattered debris continued for hours, as firefighters and rescue personnel worked to recover any survivors. As of now, two people, likely to be crew members, have been rescued. The authorities are now focusing on recovery, searching for bodies possibly ejected from the aircraft due to the force of the impact.
The Jeju Air CEO, Kim E-Bae, expressed deep sorrow for the crash, assuring the public that the airline would cooperate fully with investigations and prioritize supporting the victims’ families. “We apologize for causing concern, and our efforts will be directed toward assisting the affected families,” he said in a televised address. The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, with a bird strike and adverse weather conditions among the potential contributing factors.
As the country mourns, families are left grappling with the unimaginable pain of losing their loved ones in such a horrific way. Authorities have switched from rescue operations to recovery efforts, as the grief-stricken community begins to process the enormity of the tragedy.
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