The South Korean government said on Monday that 146 of the 179 victims of the country's deadliest air crash had been identified.
A Jeju Air jetliner returning from Thailand skid off the runway when attempting to land at South Korea's Muan International Airport on Sunday, killing 179 out of the 181 aboard.
According to the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 146 victims had been identified by 17:00 on Monday, while the DNA matching for 33 others is still underway.
Although the search and rescue efforts have come to an end, firefighters and police officers were still seen combing through the crash site in search of the items left by the victims.
Acting President of South Korea Choi Sang-mok said on Monday that the top priority is to identify the victims, provide support for their families and treat the injured. He also urged investigators to ensure transparency throughout the process and keep the victims' families well informed.
Choi required the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to conduct an emergency safety inspection of the national airline operation system to prevent further aviation accidents from happening.
The ministry announced on Monday that it will conduct a comprehensive inspection of the 101 Boeing 737-800 airliners currently in operation in South Korea, which will be the first step in the emergency safety inspection.
The ministry said it had sent the two black boxes recovered from the crashed plane to the Gimpo Airport Testing and Analysis Center to determine whether data analysis could be conducted.
The ministry also said that it has launched a probe into the regulations concerning the construction of the concrete wall the jetliner crashed into and whether it is one of the causes of the accident.
Some experts believe that the accident's casualties could be reduced if the jetliner did not crash into the wall, as the plane was still under pilots' control when skidding down the runway, despite the emergencies it had during the landing.
The families of the victims on Monday requested the South Korean government to send more experts to the accident site to expedite the identification and recovery of the victims' remains, and provide more assistance to them.
They also demanded compensation from Jeju Air, which issued an apology to them on the day.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that it plans to send a team of experts to South Korea to participate in the investigation, while the jetliner's manufacturer, Boeing, also said it will participate in the investigation.
146 victims in South Korean plane crash identified
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
