A South Korean family, including the nephew of Mayeng Ji Su and his two children, went on a joyous trip to Thailand to celebrate the completion of their children’s exams. What was meant to be a fun-filled vacation, however, tragically turned into a disaster. On Sunday morning, a Jeju Air flight, returning from Bangkok to South Korea, crashed as it was attempting to land. Among the passengers were the father and his two sons, all of whom lost their lives in the incident.

This crash has become one of the deadliest air disasters in South Korea’s history. Out of the 181 people aboard, 179 were killed. Among the victims, four were crew members. Authorities believe that the majority of the deceased were South Korean nationals, though two Thai citizens were also among the victims. Additionally, there were five children, including a three-year-old, among the dead. One witness reported that a man had lost five family members in the crash: his sister-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild.

Mayeng Ji Su, an elderly relative of the family, expressed her disbelief to BBC, saying, “I can’t believe my entire family is gone. My heart is breaking.” The aircraft was supposed to land at Muan International Airport in South Korea at around 9 AM local time when it crashed on the runway.

This incident is one of the deadliest airplane crashes in South Korean history. Among the victims, four were crew members. Two crew members were miraculously rescued from the wreckage, though they were severely injured. One of the crew members, 33-year-old Lee, was in critical condition and was transferred to a hospital in Seoul after emergency care. The other, 25-year-old Koo, was injured but her condition was reported as stable.

In the aftermath, the victims’ families are left with many questions. One of the key concerns is the cause of the crash and whether it could have been prevented. Preliminary reports suggest that the plane had encountered technical issues before the crash, which may have contributed to the tragedy.