Out of the 179 victims of the Jeju Air disaster, it is anticipated that 90 could be handed over to their families as early as the 31st.
According to representatives of the Jeju Air disaster victims' families on the 30th, authorities plan to provide the list of 90 victims, whose postmortem procedures are completed, to the delegation by the 31st. The postmortem is the final verification process conducted by investigative agencies before handing over the bodies to the families.
Families of victims included in the list will have the option to proceed with funerals immediately according to their judgment or temporarily place the bodies in preparation for a joint funeral with other families. A representative from the delegation noted, “Once we receive the list, we will notify you, so please decide freely whether to leave immediately after discussing it with your family or to remain here,” adding, “Even if you decide to leave, we earnestly request that one representative stays with us until the end.”
As of 8 p.m. on this day, authorities have identified 164 of the total 179 deceased. DNA samples are being collected to compare and identify the remaining 15, whose identification has been challenging.
At the accident site, portable freezers to temporarily store the retrieved bodies are being installed. Initially, the plan was to install a total of 11 units by this afternoon to hold all the bodies. However, as the installation work proceeded slowly and was delayed, the families expressed their anger.
During an emergency briefing on this day, the delegation stated, “We have requested freezer trucks to store the bodies since yesterday and were promised that everything would be completed by this afternoon,” adding, “Upon inspecting the site, not a single body has been placed in a freezer truck.” They further noted, “Government officials are trying to appease the bereaved families with empty promises, failing to honor their commitments. Victims deserve their final dignity and respect, yet the reality is they lie sprawled on the hangar floor.”