South Korea was in mourning Monday as investigators worked to determine the cause of a plane crash in Muen that killed 179 of the 181 people on board.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok appeared on Monday at a memorial in Muan, about 290 kilometers south of Seoul, where he laid a wreath and bowed in respect to the victims.
A senior official at South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport told reporters that authorities planned to conduct special checks on all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated in the country.
The crashed plane’s flight data recorder will be sent to a facility in Seoul later this week for analysis, officials said, with US National Transportation Safety Board personnel taking part in the investigation.
Some passengers are still unidentified
Sunday’s crash in which the plane skidded off the runway, struck a concrete fence and burst into flames, was one of South Korea’s deadliest aviation disasters.
As of early Monday, authorities were still trying to identify some victims.
Two people, both crew members, were pulled out of the wreckage alive.
“Only the tail part retains a little shape, and the rest [it] “It seems almost impossible to identify,” Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told reporters. He told what was left in the plane.
Lee said investigators are looking into bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors in the incident.
President Joe Biden said the United States stands ready to offer any assistance needed in the wake of the disaster.
Biden said in a statement: “As close allies, the American people share deep bonds of friendship with the South Korean people and our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragedy. The United States will provide any necessary assistance. Ready to provide.” the White House.
“The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the news of a plane crash in Muan County, Republic of Korea, which has claimed the lives of 179 people,” a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement issued Sunday.
“He expresses his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and expresses his solidarity with the people and government of the Republic of Korea during this difficult time,” the statement said.
Boeing ‘ready to support’
Sunday’s crash was the worst aviation disaster involving a South Korean airline since 1997, when a Korean Air jet crashed in Guam, killing more than 200 people.
Jeju Air issued an apology after the accident and promised to “make every possible effort for post-accident management.”
Boeing said it is in contact with Jeju Air and “stands ready to support them.”
“We express our deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew,” the company said in a statement.
Transport Ministry officials said two Thai nationals were on board and the rest were believed to be South Koreans.
Thai officials said there were no problems with the plane when it took off from Bangkok.
UN correspondent Margaret Beshear contributed to this article. Some information in this report was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
