SEOUL (Reuters) – Families of victims from the Jeju Air plane that crashed in December have filed a criminal complaint against 15 people including South Korean government officials and airline safety representatives, their lawyers said on Tuesday.
Families of 72 of the victims from the Jeju Air crash on December 29 said they were initiating the legal action against officials including transport minister Park Sang-woo alleging negligence in managing safety risks as well as violations of the Aviation Safety Act.
The crash at South Korea’s Muan Airport killed 179 people, the deadliest air disaster on the country’s soil.
The statement released by lawyers of the bereaved families said a more thorough investigation was needed on the decision to attempt a return to land immediately after a bird strike, on the maintenance of the aircraft’s engine, and on whether the construction of a runway embankment was appropriate.
The Jeju Air Boeing (BA.N) 737-800 overshot Muan Airport’s runway as it made an emergency belly landing and crashed into an embankment containing navigation equipment known as localisers, killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board.
(Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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