South Korea plane crash latest: Bird strike warning issued minutes before emergency landing that killed 179

The South Korean health ministry has sent funeral directors to help with funeral preparations and planned to offer professional counselling to the injured and family members of the victims, according to Yonhap news agency.

South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok has ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airline operation system as investigators worked to identify victims of the Jeju Air crash.

All 175 passengers and four of the six crew were killed when a Jeju Air flight elly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway at Muan International Airport, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall. Two crew members were pulled out alive.

“Even before the final results are out, we ask that officials transparently disclose the accident investigation process and promptly inform the bereaved families,” Mr Choi said.

“As soon as the accident recovery is conducted, the transport ministry is requested to conduct an emergency safety inspection of the entire aircraft operation system to prevent recurrence of aircraft accidents,” he said.

The transport ministry said authorities were considering whether to conduct a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by South Korean airliners.

Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok announced a period of national mourning over the deadly plane crash.

“We extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in this unexpected tragedy,” Choi said, according to Yonhap news agency.

He declared a seven-day national mourning period, starting Sunday, and lasting until midnight on Saturday.

The Boeing 737-800 involved in the accident was originally ordered by Ryanair and delivered to the airline’s Dublin base on 4 September 2009. It flew for the Irish carrier for seven years. In November 2016 it was withdrawn from use. Ryanair maintains a younger fleet than many airlines.

The 737 was returned to the lessor SMBC Aviation Capital. In February 2017 it was leased to Jeju Air, and flew from Dublin via Baku to Seoul Gimpo airport.

Since then it has been used for high-frequency regional flights. In the week before the accident, the aircraft flew mainly to and from Muan and the holiday island of Jeju. Destinations included Bangkok, Nagasaki, Taipei, Kota Kinabalu and Beijing.

Two days before the crash, the Boeing 737 was on a routine flight from Jeju to Beijing when it diverted to South Korea’s main airport, Incheon. The flight later continued to the Chinese capital.

The plane crash has brought attention to the possible threats to disaster response posed by turmoil in government.

South Korea’s government has been in upheaval after former president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law earlier this month and was then suspended.

In the moments following the disaster, there were positive indications. Seemingly putting aside their previous hostility, South Korea’s rival political groups responded to the tragedy with their own plans.

According to the Hankyoreh newspaper, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition Democratic party, departed for Muan and intends to remain there permanently to assist with rescue efforts. However, he will remain away from the crash site while recovery works are underway.

In the meantime, a taskforce headed by the ruling People Power party was established with the objective of looking into the incident and helping the families of the dead.

On Monday, taskforce members and the party’s acting leader, Kweon Seong-dong, will travel to Muan to “review accident response measures and prevention strategies” and visit the families of the deceased.

The plane crash contained "several contradictions", an aviation expert has said.

Captain Mike Vivian, former head of flight operations at the Civil Aviation Authority, told Sky News: “They [Boeing 737] are very stable, solid aircraft. They have a long pedigree.

“The pilots can cope with emergencies individually. Multiple emergencies coming together are difficult and they’re particularly difficult in the landing phase.”

The brick wall it struck was "not necessarily" exempt from international laws, but given that it caused the plane to explode, it is "another matter" if it was too strong, he added.

“It is a puzzling accident this - there are several contradictions.”

Flames reportedly seen from one of the engines could be consistent with the ingestion of a bird, but that wouldn’t necessarily stop the engine altogether, Captain Vivian added.

A Jeju Air passenger jet that departed Gimpo Airport in Seoul for Jeju on Monday experienced an unidentified landing-gear issue after takeoff and returned to Gimpo where it landed safely, Yonhap news reported, citing an unnamed source.