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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Eun-mi] earch operations resumed on April 13 to recover unrecovered remains from the December 29 Jeju Air Flight 2216 crash were halted the same day at the request of victims’ families.
According to the bereaved families’ association, authorities had begun re-searching a 26,776-square-meter site near Muan International Airport, dividing the area into six sections. The operation had been scheduled to continue through May 29.
The search involved personnel from police, the military, fire authorities, and the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, along with family members. Authorities planned to partially open access gates along the airport perimeter and focus on the area surrounding the localizer embankment where the aircraft impacted during its belly landing.
To account for the possibility of unrecovered remains, teams conducted ground excavation up to 30 centimeters deep. During the process, 12 items believed to be human remains and two personal belongings were discovered.
Following the morning operation, the families’ association requested a halt to the search and called for a joint response meeting with relevant authorities. The group argued that despite the involvement of multiple agencies, there was no unified command structure overseeing the site, and that participation by specialized recovery personnel and civilian experts had not been adequately ensured.
Concerns were also raised that the site may have been damaged when heavy equipment was used to install a temporary barrier wall approximately five meters from the search zone for security reasons. Families have called for the establishment of an integrated control tower and a reassessment of search methods.
Previously, recovery authorities including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the investigation board had retrieved an additional 115 items believed to be remains during debris clearance. Of these, 74 were confirmed to belong to 44 victims.
Alphabiz 김은미 인턴기자(kfootle@alphabiz.co.kr)
