Bird feathers found in South Korea passenger jet engine after crash which killed 179

Bird feathers have been found in the engine of a South Korean passenger jet that crashed, killing 179 people.

Jeju Air 7C2216, a Boeing 737-800 jet, was flying from the Thai capital of Bangkok to Muan, South Korea, on 29 December when it crash-landed, skidding off the runway into a wall and exploding into flames.

Of the 175 passengers and six crew members on board, only two crew survived and were pulled from the wreckage.

Park Sang-woo, South Korea’s transport minister, plans to resign, saying: “I feel heavy responsibility for this disaster.”

He added he would try to find the right time to resign after addressing the current situation.

Eyewitness: Stillness and shock after jet crash tragedy

Lead investigator Lee Seung-yeol said feathers were found in one of the engines recovered from the crash scene.

He added that video footage showed there was a bird strike on one of the engines.

Police are also investigating how the airfield wall the plane hit was constructed.

Last week officers raided Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport.

On Monday, two investigators left for the US to recover and analyse a flight data recorder which was damaged during the crash.

The device, and a cockpit voice recorder, are the two black boxes that contain key information about the crash.

Mr Lee said it would take three days to extract the data and another two to conduct a preliminary analysis.

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While authorities previously said they suspected a bird strike may have played a role in the crash, it has not yet been confirmed why the landing gear wasn’t deployed, or what led to the crash landing.