Jeju Air tragedy latest in a series of 4 aviation accidents within a week

In the last ten days of 2024, as many people travelled for Christmas and New Year holidays, the world witnessed four alarming aviation accidents that claimed numerous lives and raised concerns about safety in this critical sector.

Social media feeds have been filled with news and videos of plane crashes and accidents involving aircraft that have occurred in Canada, Kazakhstan and, most recently, South Korea, with the Jeju Air tragedy that killed 179 people.

1. Azerbaijan plane crash

On Christmas Day, an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet with 67 people on board crashed in western Kazakhstan after veering from its scheduled route.

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Flight J2-8243 crashed in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia. At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.

The plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku on the western shore of the Caspian to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia.

On Saturday, Russia's Vladimir Putin apologised to Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, for the "tragic incident" which happened in Russian airspace.

Aliyev said on Sunday that the plane had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia, adding that some in Russia had lied about the cause of the disaster.

A Kremlin statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only noting a criminal case had been opened.

"Our plane was shot down by accident," Aliyev said on state television, adding that the plane had come under some sort of electronic jamming and had then been shot at while it was approaching the southern Russian city of Grozny.

"We witnessed clear attempts to cover up the matter," said the Azerbaijani leader, who has close ties to Russia and was educated at one of Moscow's top universities.

Aliyev said he wanted Russia to accept it was guilty of downing the plane and to punish those responsible.

2. Jeju Air tragedy

In the worst-ever aviation accident on South Korean soil, a Jeju Air plane carrying 181 passengers crashed when attempting to land shortly after 9am on Sunday, at an airport in the south of the country. With 179 killed and only 2 survivors in the accident, bereaved families wept as the victims' names were announced.

Video shared by local media showed the twin-engine aircraft skidding down the runway with no apparent landing gear before slamming into a wall in an explosion of flame and debris.

Here's a video of the moment of the crash:

A temporary morgue was created, and authorities worked the scene to recover bodies possibly thrown from the plane. The only 2 survivors were crew members who are currently being treated with medium to severe injuries, according to authorities.