US and South Korea investigators to begin looking into cause of plane crash that left 179 dead
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A team of US and South Korean investigators are to set to begin looking into the cause of the plane crash that left 179 people dead at Muan International Airport.
The disaster on Sunday is the worst plane crash in South Korea’s history – with the youngest victim a three-year-old boy, according to a list of passengers seen by local media outlets.
South Korea’s transport ministry has said the pilot reported that his aircraft had suffered a bird strike as he called a mayday before the tragedy.
The Jeju Air flight, a Boeing 737-800 jet, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew when it crashed at the airport in the south of the country after departing from Bangkok.
It was making a second attempt at a crash landing after its landing gear failed to open when it veered off a runway and struck a wall, bursting into flames.
Two crew members who were at the rear of the plane when it came down were the only survivors.
Relatives of those who were on board have gathered at the airport to await confirmation of the death of their loved ones.
Many of the bodies can only be identified through DNA testing and fingerprints.
Among those that have been already been identified are four bodies that will be released to funeral homes following consultations with their bereaved families, South Korea’s ministry of land, infrastructure and transport (MOLIT) has said.
As it happened: South Korea plane crash updates
A woman prays at a memorial altar for the victims of the Jeju Air crash. REUTERS/Kim Hong-ji
Three of the bodies have been released to funeral homes in the southwestern city of Gwangju while one has been released to a home in the capital in Seoul, the ministry added.
It comes as the remaining 175 bodies are being kept in 11 refrigerated containers in a temporary morgue at the airport, which will be closed until 5am local time on 7 January while the accident investigation takes place.
The relatives of all those who died are being supported by more than 60 psychological experts, MOLIT said.
Meanwhile, a team of 11 investigators from South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board will be looking into the cause of the disaster with eight investigators from the US.
The American team is made up of one investigator from the US Federal Aviation Administration, three investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and four people from the aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
It comes as an analysis centre is checking the condition of the aircraft’s black box.
MOLIT said: “A comprehensive investigation is being conducted on the maintenance history of major systems such as engines and landing gears, and the status of operation and maintenance records of the aircraft for six airlines operating the same type of aircraft as the accident aircraft.”
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Rescuers work at the wreckage of the aircraft. Pic: Reuters
Birds may have ‘struck engine’
The pilot’s mayday call came as a passenger had texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing of the plane, News1 reported.
Their final message was said to have been: “Should I say my last words?”
Just two days before the crash, a passenger claiming to have travelled on the same plane said it had an engine shut down as people were boarding, according to Sky’s correspondent in the region, referencing Yonhap News Agency.
A passenger who boarded the Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 said: “I was on the same plane at the time and the engine shut off several times.”
