SEOUL: Questions grew over the Jeju Air jetliner crash on Tuesday as police scrambled to identify the victims and families of those killed in the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil pressed authorities for more information. put
The National Police Agency said it was scrambling to speed up the identification of the five bodies, which were still unidentified as of Tuesday, by deploying staff and high-speed DNA analyzers.
Family members gathered at the country’s Moan International Airport, where the crash took place, urging authorities for a speedy identification and more information.
All 175 passengers and four of the six crew members were killed when a Jeju Air 089590.KS Boeing BA.N 737-800 skidded off the end of the runway, hit a wall and burst into flames after belly-landing. went Two crew members were pulled alive from the wreckage.
South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-muk ordered an emergency safety inspection of all airline operations in the country on Monday as investigators tried to determine what caused the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil. .
A “black box” flight recorder recovered from the crash site was missing critical pieces and authorities were examining how to retrieve its data, the transport ministry said.
Inspections of all 101 B737-800s operated by South Korean airlines were to be completed by January 3, the transport ministry added, while the airport will now remain closed until January 7.
Representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration, and airplane manufacturer Boeing have joined the investigative body and plan to meet in Moan on Tuesday.
The NTSB said in a statement that it sent three investigators to South Korea to assist in the investigation, including those with expertise in operational factors and aerial capability.
“If we need more experts, we will send them in,” board chair Jennifer Homandi said in an interview.
Fire and transportation officials have said investigators are looking into bird strikes, whether any of the plane’s control systems malfunctioned, and the pilots’ apparent haste to attempt an emergency landing. as possible factors in the accident, fire and transport officials have said.
Officials have also faced pointed questions about design features at the airport, particularly a large earth and concrete embankment near the end of the runway that is used to support navigation equipment.