The authorities of South Korea This Friday they began the process to move the tail section of the plane Jeju Water that crashed last week at the international airport of Muanleaving 179 deaths in what is considered the worst air disaster in the country to date, according to South Korean officials.
The flight, which carried 181 passengers and crew from Thailand to South Korea last Sunday, it issued an emergency signal before making an emergency landing with the fuselage on the ground and colliding with a barrier. Only two flight attendants survived the crash.
Although the exact cause of the accident remains undetermined, investigators have pointed to a impact with birdsand landing gear failure and one structure at the end of the track that the plane would have hit.
“Hoy, we will lift the tail section of the plane using a crane”he declared By Won-hohead of investigations of the South Jeolla Provincial Police, at a press conference held at the scene of the accident.
“We hope that human remains can be found in that section. To obtain complete results, we must wait until tomorrow,” he added.
The South Korean Ministry of Transportation reported that it could take between six months and three years determine precisely the causes of the accident, while police and investigation teams, including soldiers and forensic experts, continue to work at the impact site.
In the days after the disaster, authorities carried out raids on the offices of Jeju Water and the operator of the Muan airport as part of the investigations. The accident left the country in mourning as investigation teams work to provide definitive answers.
Additionally, South Korea announced a thorough inspection of all aircraft Boeing 737-800 operated by domestic airlines, focusing on the landing gear, which apparently failed during Sunday’s accident.
The investigation is led by South Korean aviation safety officials with assistance from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)which frequently collaborates in investigations of international air accidents.
On the other hand, the victims’ relatives went to the scene of the accident to pay tribute to their loved ones and collect belongings of the deceased.
As reported by the interim president from South Korea, Choi Sang-mokwho took office less than a week ago, all the victims were identified, and the bodies began to be delivered to their families so that they could hold funerals.
The tragic left 179 deathsbut two members of the crew managed to survive thanks to the fact that they were in the airplane tailthe only part of the fuselage that retained its shape after the impact and subsequent fire.
The survivors were identified as Lee Mo33 years old, and Kooa 25-year-old woman. Both are flight attendants who were assigned to duty in the rear section of the aircraft.
The Muan fire chief, Lee Jung-hyunexplained that the tail of the plane was crucial to its rescue: “Only the tail retained some of its shape. The rest of the fuselage was completely destroyed.”
Lee Mo suffered fractures to his left shoulder and head injuries, which keep him under intensive observation in the Ewha Womans University Hospitalin Seoul. Doctors do not rule out serious complications, including the possibility of paralysis.
For its part, Koo He had less serious injuries, such as lacerations to the scalp and fractures to both ankles. Currently, he is receiving treatment at Asan Medical Centeralso in Seoul.
Aeronautical experts pointed out that the rear section of the plane It provided relative protection against the plane’s impact with a concrete wall at the end of the runway and against the flames that consumed much of the fuselage. This circumstance was decisive for the survival of the two crew members, who managed to be rescued alive from the wreckage of the plane.
(With information from AFP)
