Seoul, Jan 1: The remains of 174 of the 179 people killed in this week’s Jeju Air plane crash have tentatively been identified, the land ministry said.During a briefing for victims’ families at Muan International Airport in the county 288 kilometres south of Seoul, the ministry said it is still checking to identify the remaining five victims.
“Of the 32 people who could not be identified by fingerprints, we identified 17 people in the first DNA test and 10 more in the second round,” it said. “We are further confirming the remaining five due to DNA inconsistencies.”
The bodies of four of the identified victims have been handed over to their families, and funeral arrangements have begun at their respective hometowns this day, according to officials.
Officials earlier said it could take up to 10 days for all the remains to be identified and delivered to the bereaved families as most of the bodies were severely charred, reports Yonhap news agency.
Authorities are preserving the remains of the victims in a temporary cold storage facility in a hangar at the Muan airport.