On the morning of the 29th, a passenger plane from Bangkok with 181 people on board crashed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, resulting in numerous casualties. It was confirmed through a message from a passenger that the aircraft attempted an emergency landing due to a bird strike.
According to News1, a person identified as A, who was waiting for their family member on the plane at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, said, "I received a message from my family about a problem with the aircraft, and there has been no contact since then."
According to A's Kakao, passenger B left a message at 9 a.m., "A bird got stuck in the wing, so we can't land," asking for how long that had been the case. B replied a minute later, "Just now, should I make a will?" There has been no further contact with B.
The aircraft had 175 passengers, including 173 South Koreans and 2 Thais, along with 6 crew members. Fire authorities announced at 11:34 a.m. that 47 passengers had died. The number of fatalities may rise as recovery efforts at the crash site continue. Authorities rescued a male passenger in his 30s and a female crew member in her 20s and transported them urgently to a nearby hospital.
Authorities have established a temporary mortuary at the scene. They are also coordinating with major general hospitals in Gwangju for the treatment of casualties.
Fire authorities completed their initial response 43 minutes after receiving the report, around 9:46 a.m., and are conducting interior searches of the aircraft. The aircraft is presumed to have attempted to land without functioning landing gear due to a bird strike and collided with structures such as airport walls, igniting a fire.