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Search teams resumed efforts to recover the remains of the 179 victims of the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport and, in one day, recovered 63 additional items believed to be human remains.
On April 14, the Dec. 29 Bereaved Families’ Council said the search, which had been paused the previous day, restarted and that 63 more suspected remains were recovered, bringing the total recovered during the resumed operation to 75 items.
Officials said the finds included a section believed to be a tibia (shinbone) about 15 cm (roughly 6 in) long.
The government-led search began the day before but halted some work because the site was heavily mud-covered and agencies used conflicting search methods.
At the families’ request, authorities revised coordination among participating agencies and resumed operations. About 250 personnel took part, including Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, the South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency, military units, the South Jeolla Fire Headquarters and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Teams focused on roughly 26,000 m² (about 6.4 acres) around the localizer berm inside the airport, excavating to a set depth to separate remains and personal effects from the soil.
Separately, during post-crash reclassification of wreckage, teams recovered 115 items suspected to be human remains; DNA was detected in 74 of those items, and authorities have confirmed the identities of 44 people.
On Dec. 29, 2024, Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 from Bangkok made a belly landing at Muan International Airport, struck the localizer facility, exploded and killed 179 of the 181 people on board.
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