The families of the 179 people who’ve confirmed to have died on board on the Jeju Air flight this morning have spoken out.
The Jeju Air passenger flight, (Boeing 737-800), had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, and crash landed at an airport in the South Korean town of Muan.
News footage of the crash showed the plane skidding down the runway at great speed with its landing gear closed before colliding with a wall and exploding.
Eyewitnesses to the crash also confirmed seeing a ‘series of explosions’ and ‘metallic scraping’.
The Jeju Air plane crashed in Muan Airport in South Korea (Twitter)
The BBC confirmed that 175 people, including four crew members, were killed in the crash – with some still awaiting identification.
Two crew members have been reported as being the only survivors, with one of them reportedly going on to talk about a flock of birds after they were pulled from the wreckage, The Guardian reports.
According to the BBC, some of family members have since spoken out.
One man called Maeng Gi-su, 78, spoke to the outlet about his nephew and his two sons, who had been on the flight.
According to Maeng, the family had gone to celebrate the youngest child’s college entrance exams, and their father had taken them away as a treat.
He said: “I can’t believe the entire family has just disappeared. My heart aches so much.”
BBC correspondents also described hearing weeping on the first floor of Muan International Airport as families grieved their losses.
Families have been grieving in the airport (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
One woman named Kim spoke to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, revealed that her sister had been on the flight.
She said: “She’s had so many hardships and gone traveling because her situation was only just beginning to improve.”
The agency also reported that some had gathered to listen to an update from officials, and a person asked: “Is there no possibility of survival at all?”
To this, chief of Muan fire department Lee Jeong-hyeon replied: “Regrettably, it appears so,”
The airport authorities and the Red Cross set up more than a dozen yellow tents for bereaved families, where they were given wool blankets to keep warm.
Yonhap also reports that the ages of the passengers range from three to 78-years-old, however, most were in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
The transport ministry have said 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.Featured Image Credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Topics: World News
Britt Jones
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Updated 11:17 29 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 11:00 29 Dec 2024 GMT
Eye-witnesses of plane crash that killed at least 177 people recall moment they heard ‘series of explosions’
The Jeju Air plane was carrying 181 people at the time of the crash
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.
The Jeju Air plane skidded on the runway before exploding (Twitter)
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.
The death toll has risen to 176 (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
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.
Witnesses recalled hearing a ‘series of explosions’ (Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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.Featured Image Credit: Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images/ Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Topics: World News
Britt Jones
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Published 10:46 12 Jun 2024 GMT+1
Mystery of plane that vanished more than 50 years ago with five passengers on board finally solved
The plane went missing in 1971, but now the case can be closed
The mystery of a plane which disappeared over 50 years ago appears to have been solved after a new search turned up the answer.
On 27 January, 1971 a private plane took off from Burlington Airport, Vermont and was headed for Rhode Island and contact was lost with the aircraft shortly afterwards.
There were five people on board the plane, two crew members and three development company employees, who vanished along with their plane.
Extensive efforts to find the five were made, but no wreckage could be found and searching Lake Champlain which sat adjacent to Burlington was difficult as it froze over just days after the aircraft went missing.
Several searches were made of the lake, which is 400ft deep at its lowest point, but now it seems as though the wreckage of the plane has finally been discovered.
This plane went missing in 1971 with five people on board. (NBC Boston)
According to CBS a team using remotely operated vehicles finally found some wreckage of a plane which bore the same design as the missing aircraft.
The discovery was made close to where contact had been lost with the plane, and search leader Garry Kozak said he was pretty sure it was the same plane that had gone missing 53 years ago.
He said he was ’99 percent absolutely sure’ that he and his team had found the missing plane and solved the mystery, and he hopes that this might help provide ‘some closure and answers a lot of the questions they had’ to the families of the five people who died.
He explained that searching for planes underwater was very difficult because they break up into so many pieces that identifying them among everything else beneath the surface of the water was tricky.
Kozak told WCAX-TV: “A jet, it looks like a pile of rocks, literally. So, to most people looking at sonar data, they can overlook it because they’ll go, ‘Oh, that looks like geology’.”
The wreckage was found at the bottom of Lake Champlain, near the airport where the plane took off and close to where contact was lost with it. (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
It seems as though the discovery has gone some way in soothing the sorrows of those who were related to the five people who died in the plane’s disappearance.
Barbara Nikita, niece of pilot George Nikita, told Associated Press that the plane’s discovery was ‘a peaceful feeling’ but also ‘a very sad feeling’.
Frank Wilder, whose father of the same name was on board the plane, said: “Spending 53 years not knowing if the plane was in the lake or maybe on a mountainside around there somewhere was distressing.
“And again, I’m feeling relieved that I know where the plane is now but unfortunately it’s opening other questions and we have to work on those now.”Featured Image Credit: NBC/Doe Network
Joe Harker
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Updated 12:35 21 May 2024 GMT+1Published 12:31 21 May 2024 GMT+1
Flight tracker shows plane dropping 6,000ft during severe turbulence that left one dead
The flight data shows how the Boeing plummeted through the sky
Shocking details about the incident surrounding the death of a passenger on a Singapore Airlines long-haul flight following a bout of severe turbulence have emerged.
The aviation industry has been rocked by the tragic incident, which also left multiple others injured, following the shocking events which unfolded onboard the Boeing 777-300ER, which was en route to Singapore from London.
The plane had departed from Heathrow Airport on Monday night (20 May), carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members.
But according to the Singapore Airlines, the aircraft suddenly ran into ‘severe turbulence‘ which forced pilots to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand.
The plane made an emergency landing in Bangkok (X/@tinchok555)
Local media claimed that ambulances were seen rushing onto the tarmac in anticipation of the jet’s arrival to prepare to assist passengers who had been wounded during the chaos that unfolded in the skies.
The airline later confirmed that one traveller had tragically passed away, saying it offers its ‘deepest condolences’ to the loved ones of the late passenger.
The identity of the deceased and their cause of death have not yet been revealed.
According to flight tracking data, the Boeing was cruising at 37,000ft (11,280m) and had dropped by a whopping 6,000ft (1,830m) in the space of around three minutes.
The full details of the incident are still being established, but the figures provide a chilling insight into what may have happened onboard.
Singapore Airlines announced one passenger was dead (X/@tinchok555)
In a statement, Singapore Airlines told concerned customers: “Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route.
“The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time on 21 May 2024. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER.
“There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft.
According to the flight tracking data on the London to Singapore flight, the plane was cruising at 37000 feet and in around 3 minutes it drops by 6000 feet. @SkyNews
“We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance, and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed,” the statement continued.
According to the US National Weather Service, severe turbulence causes large and abrupt changes in altitude.
It explained: “And, usually, large variations in indicated airspeed. The airplane may momentarily be out of control.
“Occupants of the airplane will be forced violently against their seat belts.”
Passengers are now receiving medical assistance in Bangkok, according to reports, with a fleet of ambulances seen waiting at the Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Singapore Airlines promised to keep people updated with any further information via Twitter and Facebook.Featured Image Credit: X/Flight Radar
Topics: Travel, World News, News, London, Science
Olivia Burke
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Updated 15:33 28 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 15:10 28 Jul 2024 GMT+1
Two men confirmed dead after aeroplane crash in Yorkshire
Both in their 20s, they are believed to have been passenger and pilot in the light aircraft
Two men are confirmed to have died after an aeroplane crash in Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire Police said they are believed to have been pilot and passenger.
Both in their 20s, they died when a two-seater light aircraft crashed in a field in Thorganby, near Selby, this morning (28 July).
Police were alerted to an incident at 9:50am following an ‘incident involving a light aircraft’.
A statement from the force said: “We were called to an incident involving a light aircraft at a rural location in Thorganby, Selby at around 9.50am today.
“A two-seater light aeroplane with two occupants had crashed in a field. Sadly, two men in their 20s believed to be the pilot and passenger have been pronounced dead.
The incident was reported this morning. (PA)
“Their next of kin have been told and formal identification processes are currently under way. No further injuries have been reported.
“We are currently working with the Air Accident Investigation Branch to launch a full investigation into the circumstances.
“Some road closures remain in place while emergency services continue to deal with the incident.”
Yorkshire Ambulance Service said in its statement earlier today: “We received an emergency call at 9.50am on Sunday morning reporting an incident involving a light aircraft at Thorganby near York.
“A number of our resources have responded to the incident.”