Officers from Korea Crime Scene Investigation carry out an on-site investigation at Muan International Airport in the southwestern county of Muan on Dec. 31, 2024, after a Jeju Air passenger plane with 181 people aboard crashed on Dec. 29. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
MUAN, South Korea, Dec. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The remains of 174 of the 179 people killed in this week’s Jeju Air plane crash have tentatively been identified, the land ministry said Tuesday.
During a briefing for victims’ families at Muan International Airport in the county 288 kilometers south of Seoul, the ministry said it is still checking to identify the remaining five victims.
“Of the 32 people who could not be identified by fingerprints, we identified 17 people in the first DNA test and 10 more in the second round,” it said. “We are further confirming the remaining five due to DNA inconsistencies.”
The bodies of four of the identified victims have been handed over to their families, and funeral arrangements have begun at their respective hometowns this day, according to officials.
Officials earlier said it could take up to 10 days for all the remains to be identified and delivered to the bereaved families as most of the bodies were severely charred.
Authorities are preserving the remains of the victims in a temporary cold storage facility in a hangar at the Muan airport.
A team of U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing officials also arrived at the scene earlier in the day to support South Korean authorities with the investigation.
Only two people, both flight attendants, survived after the plane belly-landed and crashed into a barrier on Sunday, killing 179 of the 181 people onboard.
(Yonhap)
