MUAN, South Korea: Cries of anguish echoed through a lounge at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Monday (Dec 30) as families waited for news of relatives killed in the weekend’s Jeju Air plane crash.
The Boeing 737-800 from Thailand crashed Sunday while attempting an emergency belly landing, smashing into a wall and bursting into flames.
All but two of the 181 passengers and crew aboard were killed.
Grieving families are increasingly desperate – and angry – as they wait for formal identification of the remains of their loved ones, hoping to hold funerals and properly mourn.
“I apologise deeply … but the extent of the damage to the bodies is profound,” an official told families at a briefing Monday, trying to explain the immense hurdles facing workers trying to recover remains while also preserving crash-site evidence.
“There are many cases in which arms and legs have been severed,” he said, his words causing cries of shock and horror among the waiting families.
Using finger prints and DNA analysis, authorities have identified 146 of the victims, and are working hard on the 33 still to be verified.
Source: CNA
