Emergency crews responding to the Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea that killed 179 out of 181 passengers onboard|NBCnews|Fair use
A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 plane returning from Bangkok, Thailand, skidded off the runway, crashed and exploded at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, killing 179 out of 181 passengers onboard, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent years.
The only survivors of the fire were two flight attendants.
Just before the crash, a warning of a possible bird strike was issued, and pilots declared a mayday.
Investigators, including the US’s NTSB and Boeing representatives, are analyzing black boxes to determine the cause.
The tragic event occurred days after an Azerbaijan Airlines plane burst into flames on Christmas Day, killing all 38 people on it. The carrier was en route to Grozny, Russia, but tried to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of accidentally shooting down the airplane.