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December 30, 2024 | 08:49 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The tragic Jeju Air plane crash on Sunday morning, December 29, 2024, at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, claimed the lives of almost everyone on board. The plane carrying 181 people made an emergency landing after being hit by a bird, according to a message from a passenger, The Korea Times reported.
A man who was waiting at the airport to pick up his family members who were on the flight shared the last message he received.
At 9 a.m., just before the crash, his family member wrote via KakaoTalk: "A bird hit the wing and we can't land."
When the man asked how long ago this happened, the family member replied a minute later, "Just now. Should I make a will?" They have not been able to be reached since then.
Meanwhile, according to the Korea Herald, one of the two people rescued from the deadly plane crash asked doctors what happened that required him to be hospitalized. The doctors treating him said he apparently has no memory of the accident.
Doctors at Mokpo Hankook Hospital asked about her condition, and she reportedly asked back, "What happened? How did I get here?"
The flight attendant told doctors that the last thing she remembered was putting on her seat belt before landing, because she thought the plane was nearing landing. She said she did not remember anything that happened after that.
The flight attendant was stationed near the rear of the plane to serve passengers, and suffered injuries to her left shoulder and head in the crash. Another female passenger who survived the plane is currently being treated at the same hospital.
Authorities have set up a temporary morgue at the scene and established a communication link with major hospitals in Gwangju to treat the injured. According to the fire department, the initial response was completed 43 minutes after the report was received, and as of 9:46 a.m., a search operation inside the plane was underway.
The crash is believed to have occurred when the plane's landing gear failed. The plane attempted to land but hit an airport wall and then exploded.
Families frustrated
According to The Korea Times, families mourning the loss of their loved ones expressed anger and frustration over the authorities' response after the plane crash.
Cries of family members could be heard on the first floor of Muan International Airport, 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
"My older sister was on the plane," said a 33-year-old woman surnamed Kim. "She went through so much hardship and went traveling because the situation had just started to improve."
At around 1 p.m., about 100 people packed a meeting room as firefighters began giving updates.
As soon as Lee Jeong-hyeon, the Muan fire chief, said that most of the 181 people on board were presumed dead, cries filled the room.
"Is there no chance of survival at all?" asked a family member.
"Unfortunately, it seems so," Lee replied with his head bowed.
At around 3:30 p.m., the government began releasing the names of the 22 confirmed dead, prompting further grief and mourning from the families gathered.
Some protested that the names did not match those previously released, while others complained that they had not received any information for hours.
“Is it too much to ask for the list of dead to be clearly announced along with the current status of the accident?” said one family member.
Some demanded that they be allowed to visit the crash site so they could identify their family members.
The South Korean Health Ministry activated an emergency medical response system that called for emergency medical and rescue personnel to be dispatched to the scene.
The ministry also sent a funeral director to help with funeral preparations and planned to offer professional counseling to victims and their families.
Meanwhile, the South Jeolla provincial government said it was opening temporary accommodation for the families of the victims at a dormitory at Mokpo National University.
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