Witnesses to the South Korean plane crash have described what they heard and saw before the crash.
The Jeju Air passenger plane, (Boeing 737-800) had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, before arriving at Muan Airport in South Korea early this morning at 9:03am local time.
Footage of the plane’s descent shows the Jeju Air plane skidding down the runway with it’s landing gear appearing to still be closed before crashing into a wall and bursting into flames.
Carrying 181 passengers and crew, the fire station confirmed that at least 177 people died as a result of the crash, while two survivors, reported by Sky News to have been two crew members, were able to be pulled from the plane’s tail section.
It was previously reported that 174 people died in the plane crash – 83 women, 80 men and 11 people who were not immediately identifiable, however, the death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
Eyewitnesses to the crash have since described hearing multiple explosions and flames in the plane’s engine.
According to Yonhap News Agency and the BBC, a witness named Cho said: “I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light.
“Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions.”
Meanwhile, Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was close to the airport where he was staying, told Yonhap that he saw a spark on the right wing before the plane crashed.
“I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion.” they said.
Another witness, Kim Yong-cheol, said he heard ‘metallic scraping’ twice five minutes before hearing a ‘loud explosion’ and seeing ‘black smoke billowing into the sky’.
A distress signal had been sent out from the plane before it landed, and the plane’s black boxes, which include flight data and cockpit recording, has been recovered and will be studied to determine the cause of the explosion, the transport ministry have said.
Korean transport ministry officials also say that the airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it landed and also gave the aircraft permission to land elsewhere.
According to The Guardian, ministers shared that one of the surviving crew members had mentioned a bird strike after being rescued.
Jeju Air offered a ‘deep apology’ over the crash and in a statement and claimed it would do the ‘utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident’, and the company’s president, Kim E-bae, said that he feels ‘full responsibility’ for the crash. Although he says that no mechanical problems with the plane were noted during routine checks, Kim says will wait for the results of a government investigation to determine the cause and apologised to the families of the deceased.