PASSENGERS RETURN FROM CEBU

[Anchor Lead]

Passengers who were stranded in Cebu, Philippines following a Korean Air runway incident returned home Tuesday. But processing the aftermath of the accident is expected to take more time, causing continued disruptions to normal flights.

[Pkg]

Passengers stranded in Cebu returned to Korea late Tuesday. The 125 passengers included 114 who were supposed to take the Korean Air return flight. The others were on the same plane which overran the runway at Cebu airport and wished to return home.

[Soundbite] (Passenger (VOICE MODIFIED)) : "I clearly saw building lights through the window and naturally thought we had landed. But then the plane, with a thump sound and flew up again."

Flights by budget carriers Jin Air and Air Busan also landed at Incheon and Gimhae airports Tuesday night carrying some 260 passengers who couldn't come back on schedule due to the runway accident. Operations at Mactan-Cebu International Airport have been restricted, with the airport open only during the day from 5 am to 5 pm since Tuesday. As nighttime flights are banned, plane services to and from Cebu will continue to see setbacks for the time being. Four days have passed since the crash, but the damaged fuselage still remains on site. Fuel has been extracted from the fuselage to prevent any explosion but a huge crane still needs to be secured in order to move the fuselage. To reduce weight, the eight ton luggage inside the plane also needs to be taken out but it's not an easy task since the plane is tilted. Seoul's transport ministry is investigating the incident together with local authorities in the Philippines. Some speculate the wheels may have been damaged as passengers heard a loud thump when the plane attempted its second landing. Other factors, such as the malfunction of the airport's dashboard landing facility and the inclement weather at the time, are also being looked into.