Latest reports indicate that only two out of 182 people in Jeju Air plane from Thailand to South Korea survived the crashed on arrival Sunday.
The plane , smashed into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two feared dead.
Authorities cited a bird strike and adverse weather conditions as likely causes of the crash that flung passengers out of the plane and left it “almost destroyed”, according to fire officials.
Video showed the Jeju Air plane from Bangkok 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 destroyed, and identifying the deceased is proving difficult.
The process is taking time as we locate and recover the remains,” he said.
Only two people were rescued, both flight attendants and 120 people were confirmed dead by mid-afternoon, the fire department said in a statement.
The accident took place in a matter of minutes from 9:03 am (0003 GMT) on Sunday during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216, the Ministry of Land said, with 175 passengers, including two Thai nationals, and six crew onboard.
“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,” it said.
Two minutes before the crash, the pilot issued a Mayday call, it added.
When asked if the accident happened due to the runway being too short — video shows the plane coming off the tarmac and hitting a wall — the official said this was likely not a factor.
“The runway is 2,800 meters long, and similar-sized aircraft have been operating on it without issues,” they said.
The runway is 2,800 meters long, and similar-sized aircraft have been operating on it without issues,” they said.
“It is unlikely that the accident was caused by the length of the runway.”
