Desperate hunt for answers over South Korea plane crash that killed 179 people as experts cast doubt on ‘bird strike’
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HEARTBROKEN families are facing a desperate hunt for answers over the South Korea plane crash that killed 179 people - leaving just two survivors. The devastating aircraft disaster saw the Boeing 737-800 appear to hit a bird on approach to Muan International Airport before it then slammed into the tarmac and exploded in a fireball.
![[Questions are now being asked about the horror plane crash]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/7c2216-crashed-muan-international-airport-960386359.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Crash investigators are now facing the agonising task of combing through the charred wreckage to find out how the bizarre crash - the deadliest air disaster of 2024 - could have happened. Families have been seen wailing and weeping at the airport as they face a painful wait for news - with many of those killed on board having to be identified by their fingerprints.
![[Relatives of passengers weep as they wait for news on their loved ones]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/relatives-passengers-aircraft-crashed-went-960350353_dd882a.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The fireball tore the plane apart and sent seats & passengers luggage scattered across the runway after the pilots attempted a "belly landing". The world has paid tribute to the heartbroken nation, with King Charles II saying he and his wife are "profoundly saddened" by the disaster.
![[Video shown on Korean TV appears to show the bird strike]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gfdshgfdshgdsf.jpg?strip=all&w=281)
Questions are now being asked however over the initial version of events - that a "bird strike" somehow crippled the plane's landing gear on approach to Muan. Footage shows the plane appeared to be hit by a bird - or object - while flying over head and South Korean media reports one of the few survivors said there was an "explosion" after the impact.
![[The jet hit the ground without the landing gear dropping]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/173-south-koreans-two-thais-960293244.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
