[Aircraft Crash] Bereaved Families: "Funeral Procedures Halted Until All Victims Identified"

Request to Set Up Memorial Altar on First Floor of Airport

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 in Jeonnam on the 30th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The families of the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster have decided to suspend all funeral procedures until the identities of all the deceased are confirmed.

The Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Victims' Families Association held a briefing in the second-floor waiting area of Muan International Airport on the 30th, stating, "We have decided to halt all funeral procedures until the identification of the bodies is fully completed," and appealed, "We ask all the bereaved families to unite their efforts."

The association explained, "We have requested the government to inform us to what extent the funeral procedures will be carried out," adding, "We have inquired with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the government is currently verifying the situation in each city and county."

They added, "The proper funeral procedures have not yet been determined, and there are countless steps left, such as identification. We hope the funeral process can be postponed for a while so that the families can discuss their response strategy."

They also said, "We have requested the government to move the memorial altar set up at Muan Sports Center to the first floor of Muan Airport."

After the briefing, a man who said he had returned from Thailand for his parents' 80th birthday celebration stated, "Nine people, including my father, went on the trip, but since I had to return to India, I took a separate flight," and raised suspicions, saying, "There are many questions surrounding this plane accident."

He continued, "What is the connection between Muan Sports Center and the incident that led to the memorial altar being set up there? I also don't understand how a mayday (emergency distress signal) was declared just one minute after a bird strike. With so many planes taking off and landing at the airport every day, how could they not have detected the birds in advance?"

Meanwhile, as of 8:30 a.m. on this day, 179 bodies were being kept at the temporary mortuary, and 141 have been identified. Fire authorities plan to deploy 11 refrigerated vehicles by 4 p.m. to prevent the bodies from decomposing.

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