SEOUL (The Korea Herald/ANN): Only two flight attendants are believed to have survived a deadly plane crash in South Korea involving a Jeju Air flight with 181 people on board on Dec 29.
One of them, a male flight attendant, appeared to have no memory of the tragedy.
When doctors at Mokpo Hankook Hospital asked him about his condition, he reportedly replied: “What happened? How am I here?”
He told doctors the last thing he remembers is putting on a seat belt before the landing, as he thought the plane was about to land. He has no recollection of anything after that.
The man, who was stationed to serve passengers near the back of the plane, suffered injuries to his left shoulders and head.
A female flight attendant is being treated at the same hospital.
Jeju Air’s Flight 7C 2216 had flown from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and later crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea’s South Jeolla province at around 9am local time (8am Singapore time).
Before the crash, a passenger sent a text message to a family member, saying the aircraft was “not... able to land because of a bird on a wing”.
It is one of the last known texts sent to a family member.
“A bird is stuck in the wing, and we can’t land. Just now. Should I leave my last words?” the passenger said in a text message to a relative at 9am.
The relative told local news agency News1 that the passenger was unreachable after that.
‘Series of explosions’
Witnesses of the crash reported seeing flames in the aircraft’s engine and hearing several explosions before the disaster, according to Yonhap news agency.
In videos aired by local TV stations, the plane is seen attempting to land without deploying its landing gear.
A witness, known only as Mr Cho, saw the plane descending as he was taking a stroll about 4.5km away from the airport.
“I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light,” he was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
“Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions.”
Another witness, 70-year-old Kim Yong-cheol, said the plane had made a failed first attempt to land. It then circled back for another attempt before the crash.
Mr Kim remembered hearing the sound of “metallic scraping” twice about five minutes before the crash, reported Yonhap.
He said he heard a “loud explosion” and saw “black smoke billowing into the sky”.
According to Yonhap, officials believe landing gear failure, which was possibly caused by a bird strike, could have led to the accident.
The police and firefighting authorities reportedly began an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause.
Embassies share condolences
Foreign embassies in South Korea sent their condolences.
The Singapore Embassy in Seoul offered its condolences to the loved ones of the crash victims.
In a post on the Facebook page of the Singapore Embassy in Seoul, the ambassador to South Korea, Mr Eric Teo, said: “I was shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic plane crash at Muan International Airport this morning.
“On behalf of the Singapore Embassy in Seoul, please accept my heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims during this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her condolences via social media to families of the victims.
Two Thai women aged 22 and 45 were reported to have been on board the plane.
Ms Paetongtarn directed Thailand’s Foreign Ministry to urgently verify the status of the Thai passengers and to ensure immediate assistance, as well as to provide regular updates.
“I extend my deepest condolences to the families of all those who have lost their lives or been injured in this tragic event,” she wrote.
US Ambassador to South Korea Philip S. Goldberg wrote on social media platform X: “I was heartbroken to hear about the tragedy at Muan Airport this morning. My sincerest condolences go out to the victims and their loved ones, and my thoughts are with the people of Korea during this difficult time.”
China’s Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing also offered his condolences and expressed China’s solidarity with South Korea during this difficult time.
The ambassador wrote on X: “I am deeply saddened by the tragic plane crash at Muan Airport today.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and their families, and I extend, on behalf of my colleagues, our sympathies to those injured.”
The Russian Embassy in Seoul also expressed its grief over the incident. “We were deeply shocked by the tragic news of the passenger plane crash at Muan Airport on December 29,” the embassy said in a statement.
“We express our sincere condolences to the victims’ families and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the embassy said via Facebook.
The Irish Embassy in Seoul said via Facebook that it was aware of the tragic plane crash, confirming that no Irish nationals were on board. “May those who perished rest in peace,” the embassy added. - THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK