Investigations into cause of South Korean plane crash underway

South Korea on Monday started the investigation into the cause of the country's deadliest air disaster in decades, as the nation mourns the victims of Sunday's airplane crash.

A total of 179 people were killed from a passenger airplane that crashed Sunday while landing at Muan International Airport in the southwest of South Korea.

According to the fire authorities, the bodies of all victims were retrieved from the scene at 20:38 local time Sunday, with only two crew members being rescued.

The accident marks the worst air disaster in the country in decades after 66 people were killed in a plane crash in 1993.

On Monday morning, investigators arrived at the crash site to determine the cause of the disaster.

The direct cause of the crash was the malfunction of the landing gear, but the specific reason for this failure remains under further investigation. Eyewitnesses and reports from the airport tower suggest that the aircraft may have suffered a bird strike at the time of the accident, but the link between the bird strike and the landing gear failure is still unclear.

In the aftermath, South Korean authorities are working to identify the victims, while various government agencies are providing support to the families of the deceased.

As the country entered a week-long period of national mourning, memorial sites for the victims were set up in major cities across the nation, and many New Year's Eve celebrations were canceled.

On Sunday, South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok said that the government would find the cause of the accident as soon as possible, and provide an explanation to the families of the victims and to the South Korean people.

Investigations into cause of South Korean plane crash underway

Investigations into cause of South Korean plane crash underway

Investigations into cause of South Korean plane crash underway

Investigations into cause of South Korean plane crash underway

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday said Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's accusations that the island country provided "security services" to Venezuela in exchange for oil.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump suggested Cuba should make a deal with Washington.

"There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba -- Zero! I strongly suggest they make a deal, before it is too late," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

"Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela," Trump said.

However, Trump did not specify the terms of a deal or the consequences Cuba could face.

Diaz-Canel said on X that the United States has "no moral authority to point the finger at Cuba in anything", adding that the U.S. side turns everything, even human lives, into a business.

Diaz-Canel said that the United States is "hysterical" against the Caribbean nation because of the sovereign decision of the Cuban people to choose their political model.

"Those who blame the Revolution for the severe economic hardships we suffer should be ashamed and keep quiet," he said. "Because they know and recognize that they are the result of the draconian measures of extreme asphyxiation that the United States has imposed on us for six decades."

Cuba does not attack or threaten other countries, said Diaz-Canel, adding that the country is ready to defend itself "to the last drop of blood".

Also on Sunday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the United States behaves like a criminal and unchecked hegemon that threatens peace and security, not only in Cuba and this hemisphere, but throughout the entire world.

In an X post, Rodriguez said Cuba has the absolute right to import fuel from markets willing to export it and develop trade relations without interference or subordination to unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States.

Venezuela on Sunday reiterated its "historic stance" toward Cuba, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to the principles of "fraternity, solidarity, cooperation and complementarity", despite mounting pressure from Washington to isolate the Caribbean nation.

The Venezuelan government released a statement underscoring its support for the free exercise of self-determination and sovereignty of peoples, which it considers fundamental pillars of international relations.

It emphasized its adherence to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and international law, highlighting the longstanding and evolving ties between Venezuela and Cuba.

The Venezuelan government stressed that relations between states should be governed by the principles of non-intervention, sovereign equality and self-determination, and that "political and diplomatic dialogue" is the only viable path to "peacefully resolve disputes of any kind".

Cuban president says ready to defend Cuba, refutes Trump's accusations