At the crash site, only the crackling of cameras and the voices of journalists can be heard, while near the tarmac, we can see remains of duty-free brochures, sanitary gloves worn by the crew and the charred tail. of the plane. A yellow crane lifts the device to allow the search to be extended.
A return from vacation that turns into drama
The families, in tears or speechless, found themselves on the first floor of the airport, looking for news of their loved ones. Many of the passengers, all Koreans except two Thais, were returning home after their vacation, like Jo’s sister. “My younger sister flew to paradise today,” breathes Jo, 65, gray hat on her head and mask on her mouth. “My husband is seeing if she has been identified.”
The notice boards which usually indicate departures and arrivals now list the victims, with their dates of birth and their nationalities. In shock, a woman was carried on a stretcher after fainting. According to authorities, the youngest passenger was three years old and the oldest was 78 years old. Five children under the age of ten died.
As the day progressed, the death toll increased. Authorities gathered in a restricted area where they attempted to identify the bodies found at the disaster site. In the arrivals hall, police, firefighters and airport employees informed the victims’ families of the latest news.
Two miracles
At around 5 p.m. local time (9 a.m. Swiss time), lists were posted, angering some families protesting that the names did not match those previously disclosed, while others complained that ‘having received no information for hours, reports the media Korea Times. Relatives of the passengers also asked the authorities to be able to access the accident site to identify the bodies themselves. In the end, of the 181 passengers, including crew, 179 people died.
Lee, one of the surviving flight attendants, reportedly asked medical staff where he was and what had happened after being rushed to the hospital. Kwon, the second miraculous victim of the disaster and also a flight attendant, does not remember the moment of the crash. She suffered a laceration of the scalp, a fractured ankle and was undergoing examinations for potential abdominal injuries, according to the Korea Times.
“A bird is stuck in the wing of the plane”
On Sunday, South Korean television stations stopped the end-of-year series to go live on the drama and a minute of silence was observed at sporting events across the country.
This is an unprecedented air disaster for South Korea, which has also been going through a serious political crisis since President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted, in early December, to proclaim martial law, leading to his dismissal. The new interim head of state, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, visited Muan in the afternoon and chaired an emergency government meeting. Due to the accident, civil society organizations said they were considering postponing major protests intended to put pressure on judges to validate Mr. Yoon’s dismissal.
The tarmac at Muan airport will remain closed this week while investigators try to determine the cause of the accident, authorities said. Messages exchanged between a passenger and his child were widely reported in the local media.
“Wait, a bird is stuck in the wing of the plane. Can’t land now. Should I share my last wishes?”, indicates the passenger’s last message, sent at 9:01 a.m. “Why can’t I call you?!”, the child replies at 9:37. His message was not read.
