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The survivor, identified as Lee, appeared to experience shock as he suffered from a fractured left shoulder and head injuries after the plane crash killed all but two of the 181 passengers.
The Jeju Air plane crash was South Korea’s worst-ever aviation disaster in decades. (Reuters)
The entire country of South Korea is currently in a state of deep mourning following the devastating Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at the Muan International Airport on Sunday, killing 179 out of 181 passengers aboard.
Jeju Air flight 7C2216, a Boeing 737-800, was arriving from the Thai capital Bangkok with 175 passengers and six crew on board, was attempting to land shortly after 9 am at the airport when an alleged bird strike caused the plane to crash land, but failed miserably and crashed into a wall, erupting into a fireball.
Two flight attendants, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane, according to Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun. They were being treated at hospitals with medium to severe injuries, said the head of the local public health centre.
‘What Happened?’: Survivor After Regaining Consciousness
According to The Korea Times, one of the surviving flight attendants asked, “What happened?” when questioned by doctors about his condition after being rushed to the hospital. The 32-year-old crew member, identified as Lee, appeared disoriented and asked, “Why am I here?”
Lee said that he had fastened his seatbelt as the plane prepared to land but could not recall events after the crash-landing. Another hospital official suggested that the survivor’s reaction might stem from shock.
“It seems he was in a near-panic state, possibly worried about the safety of the plane and passengers,” the official said. Lee was reportedly stationed in the rear of the aircraft to assist passengers, and sustained a fractured left shoulder and head injuries but remained conscious.
The other survivor was identified as Kwon, 25, who also did not remember the crash and told doctors that she was experiencing pain in her head, ankle and abdomen. Hospital staff suffered a scalp laceration and a fractured ankle and is undergoing tests for abdominal injuries.
What caused the crash?
Various possible reasons for the crash have emerged, with initial investigations pointing to airframe failure following a “bird strike”. Fire officials said the bird strike flung passengers out of the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed”.
Some analysts have suggested alternative reasons for the crash, including technical glitches. They argued that both the engines and brakes on both sides of the aircraft must have failed for such a crash, and that a bird strike alone could not have caused simultaneous failures in all critical components.
The crash was the worst for any South Korean airline since a 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam that killed more than 200 people, according to transportation ministry data. The previous worst accident on South Korean soil was an Air China crash that killed 129 in 2002.
- Location :
Seoul, South Korea
