South Korea Jeju Air plane crash becomes 2024's deadliest air accident

179 passengers and crew presumed dead, while only two survivors rescued.

A catastrophic plane crash involving Jeju Air in South Korea has reportedly claimed the lives of at least 179 people, making it the deadliest air accident of 2024.

The plane was carrying 181 people on board when the accident occurred.

Two survivors have been rescued from the wreckage, but the rest of the passengers and crew onbeard are presumed dead. The crash is one of a series of tragic accidents this year, highlighting ongoing concerns about aviation safety.

The Jeju Air flight was en route from Seoul to the island of Jeju when it crashed shortly after takeoff, leading to widespread devastation. The incident has sparked a large-scale rescue operation, with emergency services continuing to comb through the wreckage for any remaining survivors.

This tragedy has surpassed earlier aviation disasters in 2024, including the August crash in Brazil and last week's Azerbaijani aircraft crash in Kazakhstan, both of which resulted in significant casualties. The Jeju Air crash now stands as the deadliest aviation disaster of the year.

2024: A tragic year of aviation accidents

2024 has witnessed several deadly crashes worldwide, raising alarm about aviation safety.

The first major crash of the year occurred on August 9 in Brazil, when an ATR-72 aircraft operated by Voepass Airlines crashed in Vinhedo, São Paulo, killing 62 people, including 58 passengers and four crew members.

The plane, which was traveling from Cascavel to Guarulhos, crashed near a residential area and caught fire, making it difficult to identify the victims.

The Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) later determined that the pilots were dealing with icing conditions during the flight.

In Kazakhstan, a crash on Wednesday morning involving Azerbaijan Airlines led to dozens of fatalities. The flight, which was carrying 67 people from Baku to Russia’s Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. 25 survivors were rescued.

Apart from the Jeju Air tragedy, other major crashes have also marred this year. In Japan, on January 2, a collision between a passenger plane and a coast guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport resulted in the deaths of five coast guard members.

Fortunately, all 379 passengers and crew aboard the commercial flight were safely evacuated.

In the United States, Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 MAX 9 had to make an emergency landing on January 5 after part of its fuselage detached mid-flight. The flight, en route from Oregon to California, landed safely despite the dangerous incident.

There were 171 passengers and six crew members aboard.

Another fatal crash occurred in Nepal on July 24, when a Saurya Airlines flight crashed during takeoff from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. Of the 19 people aboard, 18 were killed. The pilot, who survived despite his injuries, was later able to provide details about the crash.

Alongside commercial aviation disasters, several military crashes also took place. On January 24, a Russian military plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war was shot down in Belgorod, Russia, by a Ukrainian rocket.

All 74 people on board were killed, including six crew members and 65 Ukrainian soldiers.

On March 12, another Russian aircraft, an IL-76 military cargo plane, crashed in Ivanovo, Russia, killing all 15 people aboard. The crash was attributed to a fire that broke out in one of the plane’s engines.

Additionally, on July 12, a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed during a flight from Tretyakovo Airport to Vnukovo Airport, killing all three crew members.