Seoul, South Korea:
A tragic scene unfolded at Muan International Airport on Sunday when a Jeju Air flight crashed during its landing attempt, claiming the lives of 179 out of the 181 people onboard. Remarkably, two crew members—flight attendants—survived the deadly crash, thanks to their seating positions at the rear of the aircraft, an area statistically considered the safest in the event of an accident.
A 2015 study by TIME magazine revealed that the rear seats on commercial flights offer a significantly lower fatality rate compared to other sections of the plane. The report found that the fatality rate for rear seats was 32%, while the middle and front sections had fatality rates of 39% and 38%, respectively.
The two survivors, identified as Lee, 32, and Kwon, 25, were rescued from the tail section of the wreckage. In the aftermath, both appeared to be in shock and struggled to recall the events. According to the Korean Times, Lee repeatedly asked, “What happened?” and “Why am I here?” after being pulled from the wreckage. Hospital reports indicated that Lee sustained a fractured shoulder and head injuries but remained conscious throughout the ordeal.
Kwon, who suffered a lacerated scalp, a fractured ankle, and abdominal pain, also appeared confused and unable to recollect the crash.
While both survivors sustained serious injuries, hospital staff confirmed that their lives are not in danger.
The ill-fated flight, a Boeing 737-800, was en route from Bangkok to Muan when it attempted to land around 9 a.m. but veered off the runway and collided with a fence. The impact caused the plane to immediately burst into flames, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky. Footage of the crash showed the aircraft attempting a belly landing, with the landing gear not fully extended. Preliminary investigations suggest that the crash may have been caused by a malfunction in the landing gear.
Among the passengers were a 78-year-old man, the oldest onboard, and a three-year-old child, the youngest. Tragically, two Thai nationals also lost their lives in the crash.
