Bereaved families leave Muan Airport one week after Jeju Air tragedy

[Anchor]

As most of the victims have been returned to their families, the bereaved families, who have spent the past week with sleepless nights in pain, expressed their final words of gratitude.

Song Guk-hwe reports.

[Report]

Ambulances lined up around the runway.

They are heading to the funeral home with the victims who were temporarily kept at the airport.

One week after the disaster, the funeral procedures have begun as most of the 179 victims have been returned to their families.

However, there are still bereaved families who have not left the airport, gathered around the tents they used as temporary accommodations.

[Red Cross Volunteer: "We are going around to check on them and provide (psychological counseling)."]

As the handover of the victims comes to an end, volunteers are busy cleaning up both inside and outside the airport.

[Volunteer: "I can't offer comfort in words, so I'm just being here with them."]

In the donations storage area, various items sent from across the country continue to arrive, and the memorial site remains a place of tribute until the end.

[Jeong Gi-pyeong/Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do: "I hope that such tragic deaths and accidents do not happen in our country anymore."]

The disaster site is shrouded in dark clouds.

Chrysanthemums with raindrops, food, paper airplanes, and notes are comforting the spirits of the victims.

[Mourner: "My brother also passed away in an accident a long time ago, and it brings back memories. I can only imagine how the bereaved families must feel."]

The bereaved families expressed their gratitude to the police, firefighters, and government officials who worked hard for the swift recovery of the bodies.

[Park Han-shin/Representative of the Bereaved Families Association: "You didn't even go home for a week, and thanks to your efforts, recovery was handled so quickly. On behalf of the bereaved families, I would like to express our gratitude."]

At Muan Airport, where the victims and their families have departed, there remains a deep hope that such a tragedy will not be repeated.

This is KBS News, Song Guk-hwe.