Seoul: The number of deaths in the plane crash in South Korea climbed to 177 people while the plane crashed while landing at an airport in South Korea.
Two survivors were pulled from the debris and taken to hospital
The Boeing 737-800 flight – operated by airline Jeju Air – had 181 people on board including six flight staff and was arriving at Muan Airport from Bangkok, Thailand
Families of the victims are congregating at the airport .Footage online appears to show the plane coming off the runway and crashing into a wall, before bursting into flames
No cause has been confirmed – but the fire service says it believes a collision with birds and poor weather may be to blame.
Seven-day mourning period announced
The government has declared a period of national mourning for the country for the next seven days.
Flags at government offices will be lowered and civil servants will wear black ribbons.
Relatives frustrated at time taken to identify victims
The tension is running high in the hall.
You can hear the bereaved families raising their voices – even yelling at the officials where they spot them.
They are frustrated that the identification is taking a long time; The crash occurred around 09:00 local time this morning (00:00 GMT).
One official told the crowd that some of the passengers are underage, which meant they did not carry an ID, thus making the identification a challenge.
Passenger described bird ‘stuck in the wing’ before crash
We’re now hearing more about the situation on the plane before it crashed.
According to local media, a passenger on the flight sent a text message to a family member saying that a bird “was stuck in the wing” and that the plane couldn’t land.
“Should I leave my last words” the passenger wrote.
The relative said they were unable to reach the passenger on the plane again.
Families grieve in airport terminal as investigators recover black boxes
We’re still at the scene here at Muan International Airport, where emergency workers are now using floodlights to continue the recovery operation.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Molit) says they have now recovered both the flight and voice recorders from the wreckage, which will help the investigation into what caused the crash.
As we’ve recently reported the death toll is currently 177. Every few minutes, we hear wailing echo through the airport terminal where relatives of those killed have gathered today.
Inside the terminal, the airport authorities and the Red Cross have set up more than a dozen yellow tents for the bereaved families to find privacy.
Each family has been given wool blankets to keep themselves warm or sit on in the hall. In another corner, there are stacks of bottled water and instant noodles.
There are Red Cross workers in white vests and airport workers in yellow vests distributing supplies. Meanwhile, fire department workers in orange and government employees in green jackets worn at times of disaster come and go, delivering briefings every half hour.
Passengers aged between three and 78: What we know about the flight
An investigation will seek to determine the exact cause of the crash but here are the details surrounding the tragedy that have been confirmed so far today.
The aircraft involved in the crash was a Boeing 737-800 flown by Korean budget airline Jeju Air. The flight crashed at Muan International Airport shortly after 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
181 people were on board the aircraft. Of those, 177 have since been confirmed dead, with two crew members taken to the hospital. A total of 22 people have been identified so far.
A temporary morgue has been set up as families of the victims are gathering at the airport. Most of the passengers on board were South Koreans with the exception of two Thai nationals.
Ages of the passengers range from three to 78-years-old, but most were in their 40s, 50s and 60s, South Korean Yonhap news agency reports
