Muan Airport, in southwestern South Korea, will remain closed until January 14, a week longer than planned, authorities announced Monday. This is for the purposes of the investigation into the accident of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 which left 179 dead there on December 29.
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According to the Yonhap news agency, the last bodies of the victims of the disaster must also be returned to their loved ones on Monday.
“Today, the process of handing over the victims to the families should be completed,” Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong was quoted as saying by Yonhap. This restitution will allow families to organize the funerals of their loved ones after a week of waiting.
Search for clues
The plane, which was flying from Bangkok to Muan, landed on its belly before hitting a concrete structure supporting a guidance antenna at the end of the runway at high speed and disintegrating. Of the 181 occupants of the plane, only two – a flight attendant and a steward – survived.
The plane from Jeju Air, South Korea’s largest low-cost airline, was carrying mainly South Koreans returning from vacation, but also two Thai nationals.
Since the accident, South Korean and American investigators, including representatives from Boeing, have been combing the scene for clues.
Continuing this research will require the closure of the airport for seven additional days, the Ministry of Infrastructure told AFP on Monday.
Concrete wall
The causes of the crash remain unknown at this time. Investigators cited a collision with birds and a faulty landing gear. The presence of a concrete structure so close to the end of the runway also raises questions.
Last week, police carried out searches at Muan Airport, the offices of a regional civil aviation agency and the headquarters of Jeju Air in Seoul.
According to the government, more than 280,000 people visited the 105 altars set up across the country to pay tribute to the victims during the seven days of national mourning, which ended on Saturday.
