Summary of developments:
One hundred and seventy-nine people are confirmed to have died in the catastrophic plane crash, which occurred on Sunday when a Jeju Air flight crash landed at Muan international airport.
The plane appeared to land without landing gear before colliding with a concrete embankment and exploding. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Two members of the flight’s crew have survived, including a man who was awake and speaking to doctors today.
Joe Biden offered his condolences and said the US was ready to provide “any necessary assistance”.
The Korean government is offering funeral services and temporary housing to families of the victims of the crash.
The country is in a seven-day national mourning period.
Updated
The passenger plane crash that killed 179 in South Korea comes at a time of political upheaval in the country, testing the government’s ability to administer a rapid disaster response, report the Guardian’s Raphael Rashid and Justin McCurry:
The incident has highlighted the potential risks that instability at the highest level of government poses to disaster response.
There were encouraging signs in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. South Korea’s rival political parties launched separate initiatives in response to the disaster, apparently setting aside the animosity of recent weeks.
The opposition Democratic party leader, Lee Jae-myung, left for Muan, where he plans to stay indefinitely to support rescue efforts, the Hankyoreh newspaper said, although he will stay away from the crash site while recovery operations continue.
The ruling People Power party, meanwhile, formed a taskforce focused on investigating the crash and supporting victims’ families. The party’s acting leader, Kweon Seong-dong, will visit Muan on Monday with taskforce members to “review accident response measures and prevention strategies” and meet bereaved families.
