The South Korean government announced today, Sunday, a national mourning period until January 4th for the victims of the plane crash at Muan International Airport.

South Korean authorities had previously reported that the death toll from the plane crash had risen to 179 out of the 181 people on board.

Authorities confirmed that the incident occurred at precisely 9:07 a.m. Korean time when a Jeju Air plane veered off the runway during landing and collided with a fence at Muan International Airport, approximately 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul, according to Yonhap news agency.

Fire authorities noted that the aircraft's body was almost completely destroyed, making it difficult to identify the deceased. The recovery operations for the bodies are ongoing, which will take some time.