South Korea Begins Lifting Jeju Air Wreckage

Teams salvage an engine of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft which crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport, in Muan on January 3, 2025. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP)
Teams salvage an engine of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft which crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport, in Muan on January 3, 2025. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP)
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South Korea Begins Lifting Jeju Air Wreckage

Teams salvage an engine of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft which crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport, in Muan on January 3, 2025. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP)
Teams salvage an engine of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft which crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport, in Muan on January 3, 2025. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP)

South Korean investigators said Friday they expected to find more human remains as they began lifting the wreckage of the Jeju Air jet that crashed on landing last weekend killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew aboard.

Flight 2216 from Bangkok to Muan broke up in a fiery ball of flames after colliding with a concrete installation at the end of the runway following a mayday call and emergency belly-landing.

The exact cause of the Boeing 737-800 crash is still unknown, but investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear, and the barrier at the end of the runway as possible issues.

Using large yellow cranes, investigators began lifting sections of the plane's scorched fuselage Friday, including what appeared to be an engine and the tail section, AFP reported.

"Today, we will lift the tail section of the plane," said Na Won-ho, head of investigations for the South Jeolla provincial police.

"We expect there may be remains found in that section," he told a press conference at Muan International Airport, where the crash happened.

"For all that to be complete and to have the results, we must wait until tomorrow."

Because of the violent destruction of the aircraft, officials said some of the bodies suffered extreme damage, and it was taking investigators time to piece them together while also preserving crash site evidence.

All 179 victims have been identified, however, and some bodies have been released to families for funerals to begin.

Police have vowed to quickly determine the cause and responsibility for the disaster, but the transport ministry said it could take six months to three years.



White House: Trump to Decide on US Action in Israel-Iran Conflict Within 2 Weeks

First responders inspect a heavily-damaged building at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack on June 19, 2025. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP)
First responders inspect a heavily-damaged building at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack on June 19, 2025. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP)
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White House: Trump to Decide on US Action in Israel-Iran Conflict Within 2 Weeks

First responders inspect a heavily-damaged building at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack on June 19, 2025. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP)
First responders inspect a heavily-damaged building at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack on June 19, 2025. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP)

The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks.

Citing a message from Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."

Trump said Wednesday he doesn’t want to carry out a US strike on Iran but suggested he stands ready to act if it’s necessary to extinguish Iran’s nuclear program.

Russia warned the US against entering the Israel-Iran conflict.

“US military interference would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

The comments come after Iran’s state media said the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with European counterparts in Geneva on Friday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot did not confirm the Geneva meeting.

The message from Iranian authorities was “relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached,” Barrot told a news conference in Paris.

Barrot said that France and Europeans partners are ready to “resume negotiations” with Iran.