South Korea is in mourning after a plane crash killed 179 people in what is now being called one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. Only two people survived the accident.

Authorities are still scrambling to determine the exact reason why the plane — Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Thailand to South Korea — broke down during landing on Sunday, causing it to hit a concrete barrier and catch fire.

Officials said they are working hard to identify the bodies of the victims, which were severely damaged in the accident. But some families are angry, blaming the authorities for being slow to release the bodies of their loved ones.

Sunday’s disaster comes days after the Azerbaijan Airlines flight It crashed The plane was on its way to Grozny in the Russian region of Chechnya in the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, killing 38 people and wounding 29 others.

The South Korean authorities declared national mourning for seven days. Acting President Choi Sang-mok also ordered an expanded investigation into the accident and an emergency examination of the country’s entire aviation safety system.

On Monday, another Jeju Air flight from Seoul to Jeju Island returned to its base after discovering a mechanical problem affecting the landing gear.

Here’s what to know about Sunday’s disaster:

When and where did the plane crash?

The Boeing 737-800 crashed in the town of Muan at 9:03 am (00:03 GMT) on Sunday. The town is located about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Seoul, and the flight departed from Bangkok, Thailand.

Video footage showed how the plane sped across the airstrip, overshot the runway and crashed into a concrete barrier before turning into a fireball. Plumes of black smoke rose from the wreckage.

The plane had performed a belly landing, meaning the plane’s landing gear had not been deployed. Retractable aircraft wheels provide the main support for the aircraft while it is moving, taking off, landing or when it is stationary.

Officials said the plane was almost completely destroyed in the explosion. Only its tail was recognizable, and from there the survivors were pulled out.

Who was on the plane?

There were 181 people on board, including six crew members, according to South Korean authorities.

Of these, 179 people died in the accident while two crew members who were in the tail section survived. The man and woman were taken to hospital. According to local media reports, the man is currently able to communicate fully.

Most of the passengers were South Korean citizens and were returning from a vacation in Thailand. The oldest person was 78 years old, and the youngest was three years old, according to the flight statement. One family lost nine members in the accident.

Two of the victims — Jungluck Dongmani, 45, and Sirithon Chau, 22 — were Thai officials, according to the Thai government.

Have all the bodies been identified?

Not all of the bodies were identified because many of them were severely damaged. Jo Jung-wan, director of aviation policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said 141 bodies had been identified as of Monday.

Only five bodies were released on Monday. Grieving and angry relatives have been waiting at the airport since Sunday. Some relatives complained that the identification process was taking too long.

Officials told families they are taking their time so no mistakes are made in the identification and release process. A local police officer said that the five bodies released were the only ones still intact. He told reporters that more identification would be made Tuesday morning.

Families camped in green emergency tents set up in the airport’s departure hall to provide privacy for grieving relatives.

Why did the plane crash? Was it a bird strike?

It is still unclear exactly what caused the failed landing, and experts said the incident was puzzling because the plane did not appear to be suffering from any problems.

Government investigators have recovered flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which will help them determine the cause of the accident and subsequent fire. However, it may take several weeks to get results.

Authorities are investigating whether the plane collided with birds and whether this led to an engine failure and a tire problem.

The officials said that the airport control tower issued a warning to the plane about bird collisions shortly before its pilot indicated his intention to land and obtained permission to land in a different area. However, before the plane landed, the pilot issued a mayday and informed air traffic controllers of a bird strike.

Experts said that the plane landed unusually, except for the absence of landing gear. It hit the runway two-thirds of the way down, meaning it still had too much speed and too little room to slow down, resulting in it crashing into the concrete barrier at the end of the runway.

Bird strikes are a common occurrence in aviation. An aircraft could fly through a flock of birds and engulf a bird in its engine, causing the system to fail. However, these incidents are rarely fatal to humans.

Some experts said it was unlikely that bird strikes were the only factor that led to the crash because aircraft manufacturers take that into account when designing modern planes. These controls mean that when a malfunction occurs such as engine or landing gear failure, other systems are activated to support the aircraft.

What is Jeju Airlines? Who made the plane?

Named after Jeju Island, the airline is South Korea’s first and largest low-cost airline. It began operations in 2005 as a public-private partnership between Aekyung Group and the Jeju Provincial Government. Its headquarters and largest airport base are located in Jeju City.

On Sunday, Jeju Airlines bosses bowed low and issued a public apology at a press conference.

“We deeply apologize to everyone affected by the incident. We will do our best to resolve the situation,” the company said in a statement.

The airline has recorded only one air accident: in 2007, a Dash 8-400 overshot the runway at Gimhae International Airport in Busan. All 79 people on board survived, although four passengers were injured.

Two Jeju Airlines flights were reported by the Ministry of Transportation in March 2022 for not following safety protocols. Flights have been suspended for seven to 20 days.

The plane that crashed on Sunday was made by Boeing. The Boeing 737-800 was 15 years old. Standard aircraft typically have a lifespan of 10 to 20 years, according to aviation experts.

Boeing has been criticized in recent years for another class of aircraft, the Boeing 737 Max, with which it has been linked. Fatal accidents In 2018 and 2019, it claimed the lives of 346 people. This year the plane suffered several accidents, Including the cabin door that exploded in midair on an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

After Sunday’s accident, Boeing said it was “ready to support” Jeju Airlines and was in contact with the airline.

Has South Korea had any other major aviation accidents?

Yes. On August 6, 1997, Korean Air Flight 801 from Seoul crashed in the mountains on Guam while on approach to the airport, killing 229 of the 254 people on board. The plane was a 12-year-old Boeing 747-300, and the accident occurred for several reasons, including low visibility due to heavy rain, pilot fatigue, and inadequate flight crew training.

In another accident that occurred in 1989, a Korean Air plane flying from Seoul to Tripoli crashed during landing. The plane overshot the runway and struck homes and cars as it veered off course. A total of 75 passengers and four people outside the plane were killed.

What are the latest developments on the ground?

Hundreds of firefighters and security officials are deployed at the accident site, digging through the wreckage to collect DNA and other evidence.

Authorities on Monday began an emergency “comprehensive inspection” of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by all airlines in the country. Aviation official Jo Jang Wan told reporters that there were 101 of those planes operated by six airlines and all of them would be examined “thoroughly.”

Family members also provide saliva samples and other DNA samples to help officials identify the deceased. They said they wanted officials to move faster and hand over the bodies of their loved ones.

“We want [the government] “We must recover our families 100% or at least 80% as soon as possible,” Park Han-shin, whose brother died in the accident and a spokesman for the families, told reporters on Monday.

He added that the families are also demanding compensation from Jeju Airlines. “The only way for the bereaved families to feel this way [Jeju Air] She did everything she could to help the bereaved families financially. The parents of a family died. There are only children left, and how can they live on their own? “This is something neither regional officials nor the government can help with.”

The incident occurred at a turbulent political time in South Korea. These protests erupted after President Yeon Suk-yul imposed martial law, leading to his impeachment. Acting President Han Dak-soo was also removed this week.

Many in the country are concerned about how the leadership vacuum will affect the investigations. Acting President Choi was at the crash site on Monday and urged officials to use all available resources to identify the missing people.