External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed his sorrow and offered condolences to the families of over 170 victims of a tragic airplane crash at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Monday.
Taking to X, EAM Jaishankar posted, “Deeply saddened by the tragic airplane crash at the Muan international airport.”
“Extend condolences to the bereaved families. Our thoughts are with the people of Republic of Korea at this difficult time,” he further added.
The crash, which occurred on Sunday morning, involved a Jeju Air passenger jet that belly-landed and exploded at Muan International Airport.
South Korean authorities confirmed that the incident killed 179 people, while two crew members survived.
The aircraft, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, veered off the runway during landing when its landing gear failed to deploy.
The plane skidded across the ground, hit a concrete wall, and burst into flames.
Authorities quickly transported the two survivors to hospitals in Seoul after they received initial treatment.
Officials identify the crash as South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster and the third most fatal involving a South Korean airline.
As quoted by Yonhap news agency, the firefighting agency official asserted, “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.”
Investigators are looking into the possibility of a bird strike causing the landing gear failure, which may have led to the accident.
Authorities have recovered both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
South Korea’s acting President, Choi Sang-mok, declared Muan County a special disaster zone and visited the crash site to oversee the search operations.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae issued an apology, taking full responsibility for the incident and expressing condolences to the victims’ families.
The airline has promised full support to the survivors’ families, including financial assistance, through its $1 billion insurance policy.
“Regardless of the cause, I take full responsibility as the CEO,” Kim stated.
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