After the tragic incident of Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea, the authorities launched a probe on Monday as they struggled to determine the cause of the crash, which killed 179 people.
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South Korean officials said that they will conduct safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country's airlines. The decision was made during the task force meeting held on Monday.
The crash amid the current administrative challenges and political turmoil following the impeachments of President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, has also raised concerns among the people about how efficiently the government will handle the situation.
A task force meeting on the crash presided by the new acting President Sang-mok instructed the authorities to conduct an emergency review of the country's aircraft operation systems.
The Jeju Air's Boeing 737-800 plane aborted its first landing attempt, due to reasons unknown, and encountered a bird strike during its second landing attempt. The pilot had issued a distress signal. The plane attempted a belly-landing, overshot the runway and later burst into a fireball.
South Korea’s transport official confirmed that the pilot told the air traffic control that the aircraft had suffered a bird strike and declared mayday shortly before the plane crash.
The Transport Ministry is planning to conduct safety inspections of all of the 101 Boeing 737-800 jetliners. The officials said they will also inspect the concrete fence along the Muan airport as well.
Earlier Monday, another Boeing 737-800 plane operated by Jeju Air returned to Seoul's Gimpo International Airport shortly after takeoff when the pilot detected a landing gear issue.
Following the crash, the South Korean government declared a seven-day mourning till January 4.
South Korea's military has deployed around 500 personnel in the recovery efforts. In addition to the 340 personnel deployed, 160 more were sent to the crash site in Muan County on Monday.
