Muan, Jan 3 (NationPress) On Friday, government investigators from South Korea successfully retrieved the aircraft engine from the Jeju Air incident, concentrating on identifying the reason behind the tragic event that resulted in 179 fatalities this week.

The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board officials have extracted the engine from the crash site at Muan International Airport and have moved it to a secure facility for thorough examination.

Efforts are also underway to recover the tail section of the aircraft. Authorities temporarily paused this operation after discovering traces of blood within the fuselage.

Officials intend to conduct detailed forensic analysis to determine if the blood belongs to a passenger or an animal, such as a bird.

Moreover, the process of transcribing the audio from the cockpit voice recorder into text is approaching completion, according to officials.

It was noted that the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) sustained partial damage, rendering on-site data extraction unfeasible. Consequently, officials plan to dispatch the FDR to the US National Transportation Safety Board in Washington for analysis on Monday.

In a separate initiative, authorities have commenced the procedure of returning personal vehicles of the victims to their families, with applications being received from relatives, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

Digital forensic analysis is also being performed on 107 mobile devices retrieved from the crash site, with consent from the families.

Investigators are optimistic that this analysis may provide vital insights regarding the in-cabin conditions just before the incident.

In the meantime, Jeju Air Co. announced on Thursday its intention to decrease flight operations as soon as next week, following rising safety concerns about flights operated by the prominent low-cost carrier after the recent tragic accident.

Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air's management support office, stated during a press briefing that the company is "preparing to initiate reductions in domestic flight operations as early as next week, with international routes following in the third week of this month."

The suspected landing gear malfunction of the downed Jeju Air B737-800 aircraft on Sunday has raised alarms that the airline may have prioritized operations over adequate maintenance time, potentially endangering safety, according to Yonhap news agency.

The aircraft involved in the incident had completed 13 flights in the 48 hours leading up to the crash.

Previously, Jeju Air had disclosed plans to cut flight operations by 10-15 percent by March to improve operational safety.

When questioned about a possible liquidity crisis due to a surge in ticket cancellations, Song acknowledged an uptick in cancellations compared to previous periods but noted that new bookings continue to come in.

Regarding financial assistance for the families of the victims, Song stated that Jeju Air has been in discussions with the families about methods and procedures.