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.



Ukraine Urges Investigation into Alleged Russian Chemical Weapons Use

The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
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Ukraine Urges Investigation into Alleged Russian Chemical Weapons Use

The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Ukraine asked the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague on Tuesday to investigate the alleged use of banned toxic munitions by Russia against its forces.

A request to establish an investigation was submitted by Kyiv to the governing body of the organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

It followed Dutch and German intelligence agencies on Friday saying they had evidence of widespread use of illegal weapons by Russia along the frontline.

Agency chief Fernando Arias said in a statement to the OPCW's Executive Council that in view of the alleged frequent use of dangerous chemical agents his office would step up monitoring of activity along the Russia-Ukraine conflict line, Reuters reportf.

He invited Ukraine to discuss its proposal with member states, a majority of whom may be needed to support such an investigation.

The OPCW created a similar team in 2018 to examine accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria. The Investigation and Identification Team found that Syrian government forces and Islamic State militants had used banned chemical weapons in the civil war that began in March 2011. The United States first accused Russia in May last year of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War One. The OPCW, a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were "insufficiently substantiated".

Both sides have denied using chemical weapons in the conflict, which escalated when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

"Ukraine hereby requests the Director-General of the OPCW to take steps towards establishing an independent and impartial mechanism (to) investigate cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine," a copy of the request shared with Reuters said.

It asked that the mechanism be empowered to "collect additional evidence and identify perpetrators, organisers, sponsors of such use."

It was submitted at the beginning of four days of closed-door meetings by the 41-country Executive Council of the OPCW. The disarmament body had no immediate comment on the request.

At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities.

On Monday, Britain targeted two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions regime, in its latest effort to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.