South Korea crash investigation ramps up as funeral procedures begin

1/1/2025 15:16

The investigation into the crash of a South Korea passenger jet gathered pace on Wednesday



as bereaved families began to prepare funerals after authorities finished formally identifying the 179 victims of the country's worst air disaster.



The transport ministry said South Korean investigators have extracted the data from the plane's cockpit voice recorder and will convert it into an audio file, critical information to try to explain the few minutes that led up to the crash.



The investigation team is still working to extract the contents of the flight data recorder, which was found missing a key connector, the ministry said.



All 175 passengers and four of the six crew members were killed on Sunday when the Jeju Air jet belly-landed at Muan International Airport in the country's southwest and slammed into a sand-and-concrete embankment at the end of the runway, where it burst into flames.



Two crew members, located near the tail of the Boeing 737-800, survived the disaster.



The government has declared a national mourning period until Jan. 4 and the country will scale back New Year's celebrations.