140 Identities Confirmed in Muan Airport Jeju Air Disaster... 165 Bodies Stored

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Briefs Families of Passengers
Preparing Frozen Storage for Bodies and Collecting Personal Belongings

At Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, 140 identities have been tentatively confirmed following the Jeju Air passenger plane accident that resulted in 179 deaths.

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

On the morning of the 30th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a briefing for the families of the passengers at the Muan Airport terminal and announced, "As of 7:25 AM, the identities of 140 people have been confirmed."

The Ministry and other authorities handling the accident stated, "Currently, 165 people have been gathered at the temporary morgue," and added, "Once the investigation agencies complete the autopsies and preparations for handing over the bodies are finished, we will contact the families additionally."

Among the 181 passengers on the Jeju Air flight involved in the accident the previous day, only two crew members survived. Authorities have been continuing the identification of the deceased and recovery of remains throughout the night. The recovered remains have been temporarily stored in hangars at Muan Airport, and freezing facilities have been installed for preservation. Lee Jin-cheol, the head of the Busan Regional Aviation Office and the Ministry’s on-site official, explained, "We plan to install six more freezers by 2 PM today, increasing the total capacity to 11 units."

At the Muan Airport runway site, the collection of personal belongings is also underway, and the site will be preserved for the Ministry and other agencies’ investigation into the cause of the accident for the time being.

Jeju Air flight 7C2216 from Bangkok, Thailand, attempted to land on the Muan Airport runway around 9:03 AM the previous day with the landing gear (aircraft wheels) not deployed. The plane struck the outer wall, broke in half, and caught fire. The aircraft model was a B737-800, carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew members, totaling 181 people, of whom 179 died at the scene.