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Family of 9 among victims of Jeju Air disaster, including 79-year-old patriarch and 5-year-old

Published: 30 Dec. 2024, 11:57 Updated: 30 Dec. 2024, 14:41

Bereaved families of the victims of the fatal plane crash at Muan International Airport listen to the announcement of identified victims by fire authorities at the airport on Dec. 29. [YONHAP]

Year-end festivities turned to tragedy on Sunday as nine members of a family were killed in the deadly Jeju Air crash.

A 79-year-old grandfather surnamed Bae, the oldest passenger on the flight, was aboard with eight other members of his family, including a 5-year-old.

The local governments of Yeonggwang, South Jeolla, and Osan, Gyeonggi, confirmed Sunday that nine members of Bae’s family — including himself — were aboard Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216, which crashed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla.

Bae was returning from a trip to Bangkok, Thailand, with his 68-year-old wife, 46-year-old eldest daughter, grandchildren and other family members.

One of the children was reportedly five years old.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 141 of the 179 bodies had been identified as of 8:35 a.m. on Monday. Four of those identified were Bae’s 42-year-old second daughter and her three children, residents of Osan.

Officials from Osan visited Muan Airport after being contacted by the Yeonggwang County government.

“We came here expeditiously after confirming that the four Gyeonggi residents on board were residents of Osan,” said Osan Mayor Lee Kwon-jae. “We will assign a designated official until matters [related to the accident] are resolved and provide all necessary support.”

Emergency authorities survey the site of a plane crash at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29. [YONHAP]

Some families initially knew their loved ones were traveling abroad, only to later receive the devastating news that they were aboard the fatal flight.

A resident of Gwangju, surnamed Son, said his brother-in-law had been on a 60th birthday trip with eight friends from rural areas when the accident occurred. His brother-in-law had sent Son a photo of the sunrise outside the airplane window via a messenger app as he was returning to Korea.

"At first, I thought they went to Vietnam, and I felt relieved,” said Son. “But when my wife mentioned Bangkok, it felt like the sky was crashing down.”

“We were like brothers, so my heart aches terribly."

Most passengers on the ill-fated flight were reportedly part of a five-day, three-night travel package that departed from Muan to Bangkok at 7:50 p.m. on Wednesday.

Local governments in Gwangju and South Jeolla, where the airport is located, are exploring various measures to support the victims, as many of the passengers were from the region.

BY CHOI KYEONG-HO, SON SUNG-BAE, HWANG HEE-GYU, KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]