22 passengers, including Korean Broadcasting System reporter Cho Jong-ok, his wife and two children, found dead among wreckage
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
By Bae Ji-sook
Korea Times
There was an overwhelming outpouring of grief and sorrow, Wednesday, when the Cambodian government officially announced the death of 22 passengers on board an aircraft that crashed in the southeast Asian nation.
At the time of the announcement, the families were on their way to the crash site, but immediately returned to Phnom Penh to get details and other information. Some appeared dazed after realizing that their last hope of seeing their family members again has gone.
After three days of anxious moments, the bodies were finally found, but it was not good news to anyone. The steamy and humid weather had already caused the bodies to start to decay and fragments of the plane were everywhere.
A soldier who went into the jungle as part of a search team said the site was horrible. "I went into the airplane. There was a passport of a young Korean woman on the floor. It was more than terrible to see and smell the site," he said, adding he was a friend of the plane's pilot.
Kim Sung-nyeo, a Korean doctor and member of a Cambodian rescue team, said that finding the dead bodies and managing them was difficult. She said that the bodies were severely injured and had to be put into plastic body bags.
Kim has been in Cambodia for two years for missionary purposes. She said that all Koreans in the country are trying their best to cope with the accident.
Family members flocked to the Korean embassy in Cambodia to prepare for their deceased loved ones return to Korea. All the bodies are to be transported in aluminum coffins a Korean government official said adding that a joint service for the dead is being considered.
Family and friends in Korea wept in sorrow as they realized that they would never see their beloved ones again.
A family member of Cho Jong-ok, a TV news reporter found with his wife and two of his children, cried out, losing all self control. Cho had left one child with him because the baby was sick. He said the baby had been continuously crying, looking for his mom and dad.
"If I had known there was possibility of danger in this trip, I would have never let them go," Park Young-hee, husband of Choi Chan-rye, said. Choi was on board with her daughter.
Friends of Lee Jung-min and Lee Jun-ki had gathered at their school in Chungcheong Province, praying for their safe return. About 150 students and 50 staff held prayer vigils day and night at the school hall and wished for their friends' safe return.
The siblings were students of this alternative school, living apart from their parents and left for family trip to Cambodia on their summer holidays.
"Jung-min was always vibrant and friendly. She always wanted to be a TV director. Why would this tragedy ever happen to her?" Ahn Hyung-jong, a school staff member, said.
Cambodian airline to face safety check in Korea
The Cambodian airline PMT, whose aircraft was crashed in southern Cambodia Monday, killing all the 22 tourists, including 13 South Koreans, aboard, will face special safety check by the South Korean authorities.
The aviation authorities plan to inspect the next PMT Air flight due to arrive in South Korea on Friday, the Associated Press quoted an official with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority as saying Wednesday.
PMT Air flies to the Korean cities of Incheon and Busan for a total of six roundtrip flights a week from Siem Reap, according to the airline's Web site.
South Korea will also hold safety inspections on six other foreign airlines, the Construction and Transportation Ministry said Tuesday in a statement posted in its Web site.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
By Bae Ji-sook
Korea Times
There was an overwhelming outpouring of grief and sorrow, Wednesday, when the Cambodian government officially announced the death of 22 passengers on board an aircraft that crashed in the southeast Asian nation.
At the time of the announcement, the families were on their way to the crash site, but immediately returned to Phnom Penh to get details and other information. Some appeared dazed after realizing that their last hope of seeing their family members again has gone.
After three days of anxious moments, the bodies were finally found, but it was not good news to anyone. The steamy and humid weather had already caused the bodies to start to decay and fragments of the plane were everywhere.
A soldier who went into the jungle as part of a search team said the site was horrible. "I went into the airplane. There was a passport of a young Korean woman on the floor. It was more than terrible to see and smell the site," he said, adding he was a friend of the plane's pilot.
Kim Sung-nyeo, a Korean doctor and member of a Cambodian rescue team, said that finding the dead bodies and managing them was difficult. She said that the bodies were severely injured and had to be put into plastic body bags.
Kim has been in Cambodia for two years for missionary purposes. She said that all Koreans in the country are trying their best to cope with the accident.
Family members flocked to the Korean embassy in Cambodia to prepare for their deceased loved ones return to Korea. All the bodies are to be transported in aluminum coffins a Korean government official said adding that a joint service for the dead is being considered.
Family and friends in Korea wept in sorrow as they realized that they would never see their beloved ones again.
A family member of Cho Jong-ok, a TV news reporter found with his wife and two of his children, cried out, losing all self control. Cho had left one child with him because the baby was sick. He said the baby had been continuously crying, looking for his mom and dad.
"If I had known there was possibility of danger in this trip, I would have never let them go," Park Young-hee, husband of Choi Chan-rye, said. Choi was on board with her daughter.
Friends of Lee Jung-min and Lee Jun-ki had gathered at their school in Chungcheong Province, praying for their safe return. About 150 students and 50 staff held prayer vigils day and night at the school hall and wished for their friends' safe return.
The siblings were students of this alternative school, living apart from their parents and left for family trip to Cambodia on their summer holidays.
"Jung-min was always vibrant and friendly. She always wanted to be a TV director. Why would this tragedy ever happen to her?" Ahn Hyung-jong, a school staff member, said.
Cambodian airline to face safety check in Korea
The Cambodian airline PMT, whose aircraft was crashed in southern Cambodia Monday, killing all the 22 tourists, including 13 South Koreans, aboard, will face special safety check by the South Korean authorities.
The aviation authorities plan to inspect the next PMT Air flight due to arrive in South Korea on Friday, the Associated Press quoted an official with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority as saying Wednesday.
PMT Air flies to the Korean cities of Incheon and Busan for a total of six roundtrip flights a week from Siem Reap, according to the airline's Web site.
South Korea will also hold safety inspections on six other foreign airlines, the Construction and Transportation Ministry said Tuesday in a statement posted in its Web site.
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