Seoul [South Korea], December 29 : Following the crash of a passenger jet carrying 181 people, which burst into flames after skidding off the runway and striking a wall at an airport in South Korea's Muan County on Sunday, Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae issued a statement expressing regret and offered heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, according to Yonhap News Agency.
"Regardless of the cause, I take full responsibility as the CEO," Kim said.
Meanwhile, the Jeju Air Company, assured of sparing no effort to cope with the crash. In a statement, the company said, "Jeju Air will spare no effort to respond to the accident."
"We are currently working to determine the exact cause and details of the situation," a company official said. "The aircraft has been in operation for 15 years with no history of accidents," Yonhap reported.
The authorities believe all but two onboard are feared to have been killed.
The incident occurred at 9:07 am (local time) when a Jeju Air flight veered off the runway during landing and struck a fence at Musan International Airport in Muan County, about 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul
The plane, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, was returning from Bangkok. The majority of passengers were South Korean nationals, with two Thai nationals also on board.
The authorities confirmed 94 deaths from the accident so far.
"After the plane collided with the wall, passengers were thrown out of the aircraft. The chances of survival are extremely low. The aircraft has almost completely been destroyed, and it is difficult to identify the deceased. We are in the process of recovering the remains, which will take time," a firefighting official said, Yonhap reported.
In response to the tragedy, South Jeolla officials increased emergency alerts to the highest level and dispatched all available rescue and police teams to the crash site.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok arrived at the crash site around noon, instructing officials to make all-out efforts for search operations. Choi also expressed deep condolences to the bereaved family members and promised to offer them all possible government assistance, Yonhap reported.
Preliminary investigations suggested that a possible landing gear failure, potentially caused by a bird strike, may have led to the crash. Authorities have launched an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause.
The presidential office announced an emergency meeting of senior officials, led by Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk, at 11:30 am (local time) to discuss the government's response.
Acting National Police Agency Commissioner-General Lee Ho-young also ordered officials to mobilize all available resources and work with firefighting and other related agencies to help with the rescue efforts, as per Yonhap.
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