South Korea police raid Jeju Air, airport over fatal crash

South Korean police on Thursday raided the offices of Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport as part of the probe into the fatal crash of a Boeing 737-800 plane that killed 179 people. 

The flight was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea on Sunday when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed before slamming into a barrier, killing everyone aboard except two flight attendants pulled from the burning wreckage.

Authorities carried out search and seizure operations at the Muan airport where flight 2216 crashed, a regional aviation office in the southwestern city, and Jeju Air's office in the capital Seoul.

South Korean and US investigators, including from Boeing, have been combing the crash site since the disaster to establish a cause, with both black boxes found and decoding work ongoing.

"In relation to the plane accident... a search and seizure operation is being conducted from 9 am (0000 GMT) on January 2 at three locations," police said in a statement sent to AFP.

"The police plan to swiftly and rigorously determine the cause and responsibility for this accident in accordance with the law and principles."

Police told AFP the search warrant was issued, and Yonhap reported it was approved on charges of professional negligence resulting in death, citing officials.

South Korea has also announced it will inspect all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by its carriers, focusing on the landing gear, which appears to have malfunctioned during the Sunday crash.

South Korea's acting president, Choi Sang-mok, said Thursday that "immediate action" must be taken if that probe uncovered any issues with the aircraft model.

Authorities have previously said 101 aircraft of the same model were in operation by six different airlines.

"As there's great public concern about the same aircraft model involved in the accident, the transport ministry and relevant agencies must conduct a thorough inspection of operation maintenance, education, and training," Choi said Thursday.

"If any issues are found during the inspection, please take immediate corrective action," he added.

The accident is the worst-ever aviation disaster on South Korean soil.

South Korean authorities have completed the initial extraction of data for the cockpit voice recorder, but the flight data recorder was damaged and was to be sent to the United States for analysis, officials said Wednesday.

Officials initially pointed to a bird strike as a possible cause of the disaster, and have since said the probe was also examining a concrete barrier at the end of the runway.

Dramatic video showed the plane colliding with it before bursting into flames.

The land ministry said in a statement that the country's airports were also being inspected "to evaluate the installation locations" around their runways.

As the investigation continued, families travelled to the crash site for the first time to pay their respects on Wednesday and some returned the following day with cardboard boxes to collect their loved ones's belongings.