South Korea starts lifting scorched fuselage of crashed Jeju Air plane

NEWS WIRES

3 January 2025 at 12:57 am·2-min read

Rescue personnel work near the wreckage of a Jeju Air plane after it crashed at South Korea's Muan International Airport.

Investigators hope to find more human remains as they began lifting the wreckage of the crashed Jeju Air jet Friday, five days after Flight 2216 from Thailand to South Korea broke up in a fiery ball of flames, killing 179 people.

South Korean investigators said Friday they expected to find more human remains as they began lifting the wreckage of the Jeju Air jet that crashed on landing last weekend killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew aboard.

Flight 2216 from Bangkok to Muan broke up in a fiery ball of flames after colliding with a concrete installation at the end of the runway following a mayday call and emergency belly-landing.

The exact cause of the Boeing 737-800 crash is still unknown, but investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear, and the barrier at the end of the runway as possible issues.

Using large yellow cranes, investigators began lifting sections of the plane's scorched fuselage Friday, including what appeared to be an engine and the tail section.

"Today, we will lift the tail section of the plane," said Na Won-ho, head of investigations for the South Jeolla provincial police.

"We expect there may be remains found in that section," he told a press conference at Muan International Airport, where the crash happened.

"For all that to be complete and to have the results, we must wait until tomorrow."

Because of the violent destruction of the aircraft, officials said some of the bodies suffered extreme damage, and it was taking investigators time to piece them together while also preserving crash site evidence.

(AFP)

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