Authorities have confirmed the deaths of all 175 passengers and four crew members in a crash involving a Jeju Air flight at Muan International Airport in South Korea. The airline has denied that maintenance issues were responsible for the accident.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, was on a flight from Bangkok when it crashed during landing. Video footage revealed that the landing gear did not deploy correctly, causing the plane to land on its belly before crashing into a wall and catching fire. Only two crew members survived and were hospitalized.
Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air's management support division, stated that "We prioritize safe flight and conduct thorough maintenance before and after departures, so this is not an issue of maintenance negligence." He also assured support for victims' families: "We will secure accommodations for the bereaved families...and we plan to support the families of the passengers who are coming to the site of the accident."