Emotional Scene at Muan International Airport

Emotions ran high on Monday in Muan County, South Korea, as the heartbreaking sounds of weeping and prayers resonated through the departures hall of Muan International Airport. Families gathered not to send off loved ones, but to grieve and wait anxiously for the identification of those lost in a tragic air crash.

Details of the Tragic Incident

In a devastating incident on Sunday morning, a Jeju Air flight carrying 175 passengers and six crew members crash-landed, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life. Reports indicate that only two individuals survived the disaster, marking it as South Korea's deadliest aviation incident in nearly 30 years.

As families huddled in the airport's atrium, many cried and prayed, desperately seeking comfort from each other and religious leaders who spoke to the gathered mourners. With 146 victims already identified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, efforts continued to confirm the identities of the remaining 33 bodies.

Investigation Underway: What Went Wrong?

Investigators are actively probing the reasons behind the crash of Jeju Air flight 7C 2216, which was en route from Bangkok to Muan. Eyewitness accounts and preliminary data revealed that the aircraft’s pilot reported a troubling bird strike just prior to the emergency landing attempt.

According to Kang Jung-hyun, a senior ministry official, the pilot's emergency declaration included repeated "mayday" calls, indicating a serious situation. As he attempted to land, the plane’s landing gear failed to deploy correctly, a rare occurrence that has left experts puzzled. Although footage showed the Boeing 737-800 skidding along the runway without landing gear, detailed analyses are pending to understand the malfunction.

Authorities are now focused on the recovery of two critical black boxes from the crash site—the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. While one of the devices suffered external damage, efforts are underway to salvage as much data as possible, potentially involving experts from the United States.

National Mourning and Calls for Safety Reforms

South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, declared seven days of national mourning and ordered an extensive review of the country’s airline safety protocols. This includes immediate inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft in operation, totaling 101 planes across six airlines, addressing maintenance records and critical safety components.

With an experienced pilot at the helm—boasting around 6,800 flight hours—the nation is grappling with questions about how such a disaster could occur.

Choi has indicated a