The stench of gasoline hangs over Muan International Airport. Behind a police cordon, plane seats, suitcases and twisted bits of metal are scattered, close to the wrecked fuselage of Jeju Air flight 2216.
The Boeing 737-800 carrying 181 people from Bangkok to South Korea crashed as it attempted an emergency landing Sunday, smashing into a wall and bursting into flames, leaving all but two people aboard feared dead.
Hundreds of emergency workers put out the fire and combed through the wreckage, but only two people, both flight attendants, were rescued alive, with 177 confirmed dead.
By late afternoon, floodlights illuminated the twisted wreckage as a huge yellow crane lifted the fuselage, allowing officials to continue the search and rescue mission.
Behind a police cordon tape stretched across the wire fence at the edge of the runway, plane seats and other chunks of metal could be seen, offering a glimpse into the catastrophic impact of the crash.
Inside the airport terminal, family members gathered to wait for news, many looking stunned and tearful.
One woman was carried away on a stretcher, apparently having passed out from shock.
The boards typically used for arrival and departure information were instead displaying the names, dates of birth and nationalities of the victims.
“I had a son on board that plane … He has yet to be identified,” one elderly man waiting in the airport lounge, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
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