The bodies of eight South Koreans killed in a recent chopper crash in Peru will be brought home this week as they have been exempted from undergoing autopsies, officials said Wednesday.
The bodies currently lie in a morgue in the southeastern city of Cusco, where they have been identified through dental records and by their families. They were expected to undergo autopsies as required under Peruvian law, but that step will no longer be necessary as the law also makes an exception for aviation accident victims, an official from the South Korean Embassy in Lima said.
"We agreed with the Peruvian government not to perform autopsies on the bodies," the official said on condition of anonymity. "With that procedure left out, the bodies will leave Cusco tomorrow around noon and be taken home via Lima."
The victims were among 14 people killed in a helicopter crash in the Andes last Wednesday while returning from a trip to a potential site for a hydropower plant near Mazuco in southeastern Peru. The wreckage of the helicopter was discovered Saturday on Mount Mamarosa at about 4,950 meters above sea level, and the victims' bodies were recovered the following day.
The South Koreans were employees of Samsung C&T, the engineering and construction arm of Samsung Group, the Korea Water Resources Corp., the Korea Engineering Consultants Corp. and Seoyeong Engineering. Three Peruvians, one Dutchman, one Swede and one Czech were also killed in the crash.
After the bodies are transported to Lima, they will be embalmed and placed in special aluminum coffins for their flight to South Korea. The embassy and the victims' employers are in talks with airlines to arrange a chartered flight for Saturday, but scheduling problems could leave them having to use commercial flights that depart on Friday evening, the embassy official said.
The cause of the crash is not yet clear, although officials believe it was due to bad weather. Peruvian government officials have been quoted as saying it could take at least three months and up to a year before an investigation is complete.
(Yonhap News)
