South Korean and American investigators are trying to determine what caused the tragedy; Authorities initially attributed the crash to a bird strike
South Korea ordered, on Monday (30), a “complete inspection” of all Boeing 737-800s operated by the country’s airlines, a day after one of these aircraft crashed on landing, killing 179 people. South Korean and American investigators are trying to determine what caused the worst air disaster in the Asian country’s history, which authorities initially attributed to a bird strike. The plane was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea when it made a distress call and landed without landing gear, before colliding with a wall and catching fire.
All passengers of Flight 2216 died, except for two flight attendants who were pulled alive from the rubble. The country began seven days of mourning this Monday, with flags flying at half-mast. Current President Choi Sang-mok went to the crash site in the southwestern city of Muan to attend a memorial. The president, who took office last Friday, assured that the government will make “every effort” possible to identify the victims and support their bereaved families.
South Korea has a strong aviation safety record and both black boxes from the flight were recovered. Investigators have so far identified 146 victims through DNA or fingerprint analysis. Relatives of the victims camped overnight in tents set up inside the airport, awaiting news about their loved ones. “I had a son on board the plane,” said an elderly man who was waiting in the airport lounge and asked not to reveal his name. He said his son has not yet been identified.
Barrier
On Monday morning, at the crash site, a couple looked at the twisted remains of the plane, which remained scattered near the charred tail. The passengers, aged between three and 78, were all Korean except for two Thais, authorities said. Another Jeju Air plane had problems with its landing gear and had to return to Seoul’s Gimpo airport shortly after taking off on Monday, the airline said. A company representative told AFP that it is analyzing what happened in this case.
The initially reported cause of Sunday’s accident was a bird strike, and the control tower issued an alert in this regard shortly before the incident. However, experts who analyzed videos of Sunday’s flight landing indicated that the airport’s construction may have influenced the tragedy. Kim Kwang-il, a former pilot and aeronautics professor at Silla University, said he felt “very distressed” when reviewing video of the plane making an emergency landing before hitting a barrier. “There should not be a solid structure in this area,” he told AFP. “Normally, at the end of a runway there is no solid obstruction, this goes against international aviation safety standards,” he explained.
“Outside the airport there are usually only fences, which are soft and would not cause significant damage. The plane would have slid further until it stopped on its own. The unnecessary structure is very regrettable,” he said. Pope Francis said on Sunday that he would pray for the victims, and world leaders including China, the European Union and Iran also sent messages of condolence.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Victor Oliveira
