A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday (29), smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two feared dead.
A bird strike was cited by authorities as the likely cause of the crash -- the worst ever aviation disaster on South Korean soil -- which flung passengers out of the plane and left it "almost completely destroyed", according to fire officials.
Video showed the Jeju Air plane landing on its belly at Muan International Airport, skidding off the runway as smoke streamed out from the engines, before crashing into a wall and exploding in flames.
"Passengers were ejected from the aircraft after it collided with the wall, leaving little chance of survival," a local fire official told families at a briefing, according to a statement released by the fire brigade.
"The plane is almost completely destroyed," he was quoted as saying.
Only two people were rescued, both flight attendants, and 177 people were confirmed dead by Sunday evening, the fire department said.
Under floodlights, rescue workers used a giant yellow crane to lift the burned-out fuselage of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the runway at Muan -- some 288 kilometres (about 180 miles) southwest of Seoul.
Bits of plane seats and luggage were strewn across the field next to the runway, not far from the charred tail, offering a glimpse into the catastrophic impact of the crash.
'Mayday'
Inside the airport terminal, tearful family members gathered to wait for news, with the boards typically used for arrival and departure information displaying names, dates of birth and nationalities of the victims.
"I had a son on board that plane," an elderly man waiting in the airport lounge, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
"My younger sister went to heaven today," a 65-year-old woman, who gave only her surname Jo, told AFP.
All of the passengers were Korean apart from two Thais, with the youngest a three-year-old boy and the oldest a 78-year-old, authorities said.
Firefighters carry the body of a passenger from the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport on December 29, 2024 in Muan-gun, South Korea.
(Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
The accident took place in a matter of minutes as Jeju Air Flight 2216 tried to land -- with the control tower issuing a warning of a bird strike, and the pilot soon after calling "mayday".
"It took approximately three minutes from the control tower's mention of a bird strike warning to the aircraft's attempt to land on the runway again," an official said.
Video shows the plane coming off the tarmac and hitting a wall, but officials dismissed speculation that the length of the runway was a factor in the crash.
Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, said the cause was "presumed to be a bird strike" but that the exact details would be announced after a full investigation.
Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said it "sincerely" apologised -- with top officials shown bowing deeply at a press conference in Seoul -- and vowed to do all it could to help.
Boeing said in a statement that it was in touch with Jeju Air and stood "ready to support them".
Engulfed in flames
South Korea's acting president Choi Sang-mok, who only took office Friday (27), convened an emergency cabinet meeting and then visited the crash site at Muan.
"The entire government is working closely together to manage the aftermath of the accident, dedicating all available resources, while making every effort to ensure thorough support for the bereaved families," he said.
People and relatives of passengers of the crashed Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft react at Muan International Airport. (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of South Korea's largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005.
On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Jeju Air carrying 74 passengers came off the runway due to strong winds at the southern Busan-Gimhae airport, resulting in a dozen injuries.
South Korea's aviation industry has a solid track record for safety, experts say.
A number of fatal aviation accidents have occurred globally due to bird strikes, which can cause a loss of power if the animals are sucked into the air intakes.
In 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 famously landed in New York's Hudson River after bird strikes on both of its engines, in an incident widely known as the "Miracle on the Hudson" because there was no loss of life.
(AFP)
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)