(30 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hong Kong – 30 December 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Wober, Senior Videojournalist, Associated Press, Hong Kong:
"South Koreans are struggling to come to terms with their grief after one of the worst aviation disasters in their country’s history. The Jeju Air plane crashed, and 179 people lost their lives, only two survivors. The cockpit recorder and the black box have been recovered, but the investigation will take time. Nobody knows yet why this shocking disaster happened. It was in an airport south of the capital Seoul, and the plane skidded along the runway, and crashed into a barrier, exploding into a ball of flames. It’s also very harrowing because the video is out there for everybody to see. Memorials are being set up around the country for those who lost their lives. It’s also at a time when South Korea’s government is in turmoil after the president tried to impose martial law, and then various impeachment processes are ongoing, and the future is uncertain. So, altogether, this is a terribly traumatic time for South Korea."
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
A jetliner skidded off a runway, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames Sunday in South Korea after its landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people aboard were killed in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters, officials said.
Associated Press videojournalist Raf Wober in Hong Kong explains what the tragedy means at a troubling time for South Korea’s government.
The Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air plane arrived from Bangkok and crashed while attempting to land in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Seoul.
Footage of the crash aired by South Korean television showed the plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed, evidently with its landing gear still closed, and slamming into the wall, triggering an explosion and generating plumes of thick, black smoke.
The crash killed 179 people, the South Korean fire agency said. Emergency workers pulled two crew members to safety. They were conscious and did not appear to have any life-threatening injuries, health officials said.
The chief of the Muan fire station, Lee Jeong-hyeon, told a televised briefing that the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly still recognizable in the wreckage. Officials were investigating the cause of the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds, Lee said.
The control tower issued a warning about birds to the plane shortly before it intended to land and gave the crew permission to land in a different area, Transport Ministry officials said. The crew sent out a distress signal shortly before the crash, officials said.
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