(Image source from: AP)

South Korea's transportation ministry officials said at a news conference Monday that the pilot of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 told air traffic control that the plane had been hit by a bird shortly before the crash on Sunday morning and declared May 1. In an emergency meeting on Sunday, South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-muk declared a nationwide state of mourning until Jan. 4 following the plane crash at Moan International Airport that killed 179 people. Choi pressed the issue in a post A Jeju Air flight that landed at the airport shortly after 9 a.m. local time veered off the runway and crashed into the airport wall, causing a fireball. Video shared by local news outlets shows the twin-engine plane with no landing gear skidding off the runway before crashing into a wall with an explosion.

According to the Ministry of Transport, among the 175 passengers, two are Thai citizens and the rest are Korean citizens. The aircraft is a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800. According to the airline's spokesperson, the airline is investigating the details of the accident, including the number of injuries and the cause. According to Blue House, South Korea's incumbent President Choi Sang-muk has ordered a comprehensive rescue operation. The South Korean government said Monday it plans to conduct safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800s operated by domestic airlines following the crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 that killed 179 people. Sunday's crash at Moan International Airport involved a Jeju Air plane, a Boeing 737-800, where all three landing gears on the plane apparently malfunctioned during landing. After a Jeju Air plane crashed at Moan International Airport, killing 179 people, the South Korean military has deployed around 500 men for recovery operations.

About 340 people were taken to the plane crash site in the town of Movan on Sunday along with rescue equipment such as fire engines and ambulances, and nearly 160 people were also taken to the accident site on Monday. The Jeollabuk-do government announced it will build a joint memorial altar to commemorate the victims of the Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179 people on Sunday morning. “We are creating a place where people can pay their respects and remember the victims of this tragedy,” government officials said. Six of the 179 victims were residents of Jeollabuk-do, South Korea.