(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, Dec 31 (IANS) US President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state nominee has expressed "deep condolences" over a recent deadly plane crash in South Korea, which claimed the lives of 179 people.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, nominated to serve as secretary of state for Trump's second term, wrote on the social media platform X on Monday (US time), "Our hearts go out to the Korean people. We share in your grief over the tragic loss of 179 people."
On Sunday, a Jeju Aeroplane from Bangkok crashed into the outer wall of Muan International Airport in southwest South Korea during a belly landing, leaving 179 of the 181 people on board dead.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones amid this immeasurable pain," Rubio said, adding, "Our prayers are with you and your great nation."
The message is the first expression of condolences from Trump's team over the plane crash.
On the day of the tragedy, US President Joe Biden said that he and First Lady Jill Biden were "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and pledged to provide any necessary assistance.
Meanwhile, a team of investigators from the US government and aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. have arrived at the site of the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport to participate in the investigation into the incident, Seoul officials said on Tuesday.
According to Seoul's transport ministry, one member from the US Federal Aviation Administration, three experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and four representatives from Boeing have joined officials of South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) for the investigation at the site of the accident, reports Yonhap news agency.
The US team arrived in South Korea on Monday via Incheon International Airport and travelled directly to Muan, some 290 kilometres southwest of Seoul, to prepare for the investigation.
According to the ministry, the US and Boeing representatives, together with 11 members of South Korea's ARAIB, are currently assessing the wreckage and debris at the crash site, searching for components that could offer clues about the cause of the accident.
Following the on-site probe, the investigation will proceed to the analysis phase, which will involve examining the recovered evidence and data extracted from the aircraft's two black boxes.
One of the black boxes, the aircraft's flight data recorder, was found to have suffered exterior damage and to be missing a connector that links its data storage unit to the power supply.
The second black box, the cockpit voice recorder, is reportedly in a relatively better condition.
The investigation team will soon decide whether to attempt repairs and analysis of the damaged black box domestically or send the device to the NTSB in the US for further examination.
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