Crew Members’ Families Mourn in Silence “The Grief of Losing a Loved One is the Same for Everyone”
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and others on Dec 30th, as of 8:35 AM that day, the identities of 141 victims were confirmed and notified to the bereaved families. The remains of all 179 victims have been temporarily placed in hangars and other facilities at the airport. Once forensic examinations and investigations are completed, the remains will be handed over to the families. Authorities have prepared freezing equipment to preserve the bodies until they are released to the families, increasing the initial setup of six units to eleven.
Four of the deceased were Jeju Air crew members. Of the six crew on board, two (a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s) were miraculously rescued. They received emergency treatment at hospitals in Mokpo before being transferred to hospitals in Seoul. Both survivors were found in the tail section of the aircraft.
38 Victims Remain Unidentified, Including the Captain and First Officer
While the remains of all 179 victims were recovered by 8:38 PM on Dec 29th, 38 victims have yet to be identified. Among them are the captain and first officer. The identities of two cabin crew members were confirmed late the previous afternoon, including the youngest crew member, a 23-year-old female cabin attendant.
According to authorities, families of Jeju Air crew arrived at Muan Airport the day before, waiting anxiously alongside the families of passengers to confirm their loved ones’ identities. The unidentified crew members’ families, like other bereaved families, are holding back their grief, waiting silently and desperately for the announcement of the names.
A Jeju Air representative said, “Right now, prioritizing the handling of the accident and supporting the victims and their families comes first, so we have not been able to gather detailed information about our staff.” They added with a heavy heart, “The sorrow of losing a loved one must be the same for everyone.”
Families Await Full Identification Before Proceeding with Funerals
The families of Jeju Air victims have decided not to proceed with funeral arrangements until the recovery and identification of all victims are complete. Park Han-shin, a representative of the bereaved families, announced this decision during a meeting in the second-floor waiting area of Muan Airport Terminal.
Park stated, “There are still remains that have not been identified. Until everyone is accounted for, all funeral arrangements are on hold. I urge everyone to refrain from discussing individual funeral plans at this time.”
Meanwhile, Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, departing from Bangkok, Thailand and bound for Muan Airport, attempted to land at 9:03 AM on Dec 29th. The landing gear failed to deploy, causing the aircraft to collide with the airport’s exterior wall. The collision resulted in an explosion and fire, killing all 175 passengers and four crew members onboard.
