Aircraft engine recovered from Jeju Air crash site

[Anchor]

Today (1.3), an aircraft engine, which is one of the key pieces of evidence that will reveal the cause of the accident, was recovered from the pile of dirt at the accident site.

The contents stored on the mobile phones and tablet PCs collected from the scene are being verified by the police.

This is reporter Kim Ho.

[Report]

The aircraft engine, connected to a large crane, is lifted into the air.

The engine, which was buried in a pile of dirt after colliding with a concrete embankment, has revealed itself for the first time since the accident.

The crumpled shape and the dirt packed inside the propeller suggest the horrific moments of the accident.

As sparks flew just before landing and the possibility of a bird strike was raised, the engine is considered a key clue in determining the cause of the disaster.

[Lee Seung-yeol/Head of the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board: "All aircraft will be moved to a designated location, and important components related to the accident will be brought to our office for further investigation methods."]

At the disaster site, over 100 items, including victims' mobile phones and tablet PCs, were collected.

There is a high possibility that messages exchanged with family and videos from the time of the accident remain on these devices, so the police are conducting forensics with the consent of the bereaved families.

Additionally, information about the victims' acquaintances contained in their mobile phone SNS will also be provided to the families.

[Lee Hyuk/Representative of the bereaved families: "I have no way to contact my mother and father's acquaintances, so please open the KakaoTalk password for the bereaved families."]

The police search of Muan Airport, which began yesterday (1.2), has continued for more than a day until this morning.

The police plan to summon related parties for investigation as soon as they finish analyzing the seized items, including the flight operations and communication records of the accident aircraft.

They are also forming a dedicated investigation team centered on the Cyber Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency to investigate 70 cases of insulting posts against the bereaved families.

This is KBS News, Kim Ho.