The Prime Minister and the King have paid condolences to loved ones of the 179 people killed in the South Korea plane crash.
The Jeju Air passenger plane was carrying 181 people when it skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy, officials said.
The country’s national fire agency said 85 women, 84 men and 10 others whose genders were not immediately identifiable died in the fire at the airport in the town of Muan, about 180 miles south of Seoul.
Emergency workers pulled two people, both crew members, to safety and local health officials said they remain conscious.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement: “I send my deepest condolences to the victims and families of those who lost their lives in the tragic plane crash in Muan.
“I pay tribute to the work of the emergency responders and my thoughts are with the people of the Republic of Korea and Thailand at this terrible time.”
The King said he and the Queen will be holding the families and loved ones of those who died in their prayers.
He said: “My wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the horrific air accident at Muan, which resulted in such grievous loss of life.
“As the people of the Republic of Korea mourn this disaster, the families and loved ones of all the victims are in our prayers.”
On Sunday morning, Foreign Secretary David Lammy posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Deeply saddened by news of the plane crash overnight in South Korea.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to the people of South Korea and Thailand, and all those that have lost loved ones.”
Footage of the crash aired by YTN television showed the plane skidding across the airstrip, apparently with its landing gear still closed, and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility.
Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that the plane was destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage.
He said workers are looking into various possibilities for the cause of the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds.
Marco Chan, a senior lecturer in aviation operations at Buckinghamshire New University, said in his analysis of the crash: “Evidence suggests the aircraft encountered a flock of birds during its approach, leading to suspected bird ingestion into the engines.
“Witnesses reported hearing explosions and seeing flames from the right-hand engine, indicating potential damage. This damage may have caused a hydraulic system failure, which could explain the inability to deploy the landing gear.
“A bird strike warning was issued at 08.57 local time, only six minutes before the crash. The crew declared Mayday at 08.58 and attempted to land on the opposite runway 19.
“This tight timeline likely constrained the crew’s ability to troubleshoot effectively and assess all options, including possible diversion to an alternate airport with a longer runway.
“The inability to deploy the landing gear forced the crew to attempt a belly landing on Muan’s 2,800-metre runway.”
He said: “The Boeing 737-800 is a reliable and widely-used aircraft, and this crash appears to result from an unfortunate chain of events rather than a systemic design flaw. The findings from the investigation will provide critical lessons for preventing similar tragedies in the future.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of all crew and passengers on Jeju Air flight 7C-2216 and the aviation industry must learn lessons from this tragic incident.”
Jeju Air issued a statement expressing its “deep apology” over the crash and said it will do its “utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident”.
It is one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea’s aviation history.
The last time South Korea suffered a large-scale air disaster was in 1997, when a Korean Airline plane crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board.
In 2013, an Asiana Airlines plane crash-landed in San Francisco, killing three and injuring approximately 200.
