Funerals begin for 179 victims of deadly South Korea plane crash

A funeral for one of the 179 people who passed away in the fatal Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 crash is being held at a funeral parlor in Gwangju on Tuesday. (Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network)

Funerals of those who passed away in the Jeju Air crash in Muan, South Jeolla Province, have begun, as the authorities completed identification process for all 179 victims the previous day.

The final part of the funeral for one of the victims took place Thursday morning. It was the first funeral to be completed, having begun relatively early, on Monday, as the body was less damaged than others.

The funeral for a 45-year-old Thai victim will also be completed Thursday afternoon.

READ: ‘She was almost home’: Father mourns daughter killed in Jeju Air crash

As of Thursday morning, funerals of nine victims are being conducted, with the bodies of 21 victims having been delivered to the bereaved families so far. Officials expect 60 bodies to be sent to the families within the day.

All 179 victims will be transferred to their families, as the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters officially wrapped up the identification process. The families can either choose to hold funerals on their own, or leave the bodies for a joint funeral.

The authorities have also begun delivering the victims’ belongings to the bereaved families. Mobile phones, which are difficult to identify the owners of, will go through forensic analysis with consent of the families.

READ: S. Korea police raid Muan airport over Jeju Air crash that killed 179

The South Korean government is conducting investigation on cause of the accident, analyzing the communications record from the pilots while sending the black box from the plane to the US-based experts for analysis.

The Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 overran the runway at Muan International Airport on Sunday morning, after hitting the runway without the landing gear being deployed. Officials are conducting investigation on the botched landing, with bird strike and mechanical malfunctions being suspected as contributory factors.

All but two flight attendants perished in the deadliest aviation accident ever to occur on South Korean soil.