141 out of 179 killed in Jeju Air plane crash identified

By Lee Haye-ah, MUAN, South Korea, Dec. 30 (Yonhap): The remains of 141 of the 179 people killed in this week's Jeju Air plane crash have tentatively been identified, the land ministry said Monday.

During a briefing for victims' families at Muan International Airport in the county 288 kilometres south of Seoul, the ministry said all 179 bodies have been moved to a temporary morgue.

"Once we are ready to transfer the bodies following autopsies by investigation agencies, we will contact the families," an official said.

The victims' belongings are being gathered from the runway where the plane belly-landed and crashed into a barrier the previous day, killing 179 of the 181 people onboard.

The site will be preserved pending authorities' investigation into the cause of the accident.

All major cities and provinces said they plan to open joint memorial altars for the victims later in the day.

The local governments of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, which together lost 157 residents in the crash, will set up at least three altars, including at the May 18 Democracy Square, the South Jeolla provincial government building and a sports complex in Muan.

The altars will run until the end of the seven-day national mourning period on Saturday.