Jeju Air Disaster, 28 Victims' Fingerprints Unidentifiable

"Identity Verification May Take More Time"
Researcher, Additional Dispatch of Ophthalmologist at Police Request

As a Jeju Air passenger plane returning from Bangkok, Thailand to Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do experienced an accident, it has been reported that fingerprint identification is impossible for some of the deceased. On the morning of the 30th, Na Won-oh, head of the investigation department at the Jeollanam-do Police Agency, stated at a briefing held in the 2nd-floor waiting room of Muan International Airport, "Fingerprints were collected from 151 of the 179 deceased," adding, "The remaining 28 are either severely mutilated or include children whose fingerprints were not registered, making fingerprint identification currently impossible." He further noted, "It may take more time to confirm identities."

Firefighters are searching for fuel items at the site of the Jeju Air passenger plane collision and explosion accident that occurred at Muan International Airport, Jeonnam, 30 days ago. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

The police and the National Forensic Service have deployed three 'rapid DNA analyzers' capable of performing DNA analysis within about two hours to the accident site to identify the deceased. As of 3:20 a.m. that day, a total of 137 deceased had been identified, of whom 91 were moved to a temporary storage facility in a hangar at the airport. Due to concerns from bereaved families that the delivery of victims' bodies might be delayed because there are only five medical examiners, the police requested additional medical examiners from the National Forensic Service. Consequently, five medical examiners and 16 support personnel were additionally dispatched and arrived at the site. Lee Jin-cheol, director of the Busan Regional Aviation Administration, stated, "With the consent of the bereaved families, the recovered bodies will be handed over sequentially," adding, "When the situation allows for the delivery of bodies, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will contact the families individually."

Earlier, Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 attempted a belly landing on the runway of Muan Airport around 9:03 a.m. on the 29th, with the landing gear (aircraft wheels) not deployed, during which the fuselage collided with the outer wall. Subsequently, the aircraft broke apart and caught fire, with most of the fuselage engulfed in flames. The passenger plane was carrying a total of 181 people, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. According to the Fire Agency's tally, 179 people died and 2 were rescued. As a result, the Jeju Air passenger plane accident became the deadliest aviation accident in South Korea. Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, declared Muan a special disaster area and chaired a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at the Muan County Office. Acting Prime Minister Choi announced, "The government designates a national mourning period of seven days from today until 24:00 on January 4."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.