Suggestion for Maintaining Coordinated Disaster Response: Review of Disaster Response to the Air China Aircraft Crash near Kimhae Airport

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to use a review of the regional disaster that occurred on April 15, 2002, to improve the National Disaster Medical System and to operate the Disaster Medical Assistance Team and the Mobile Emergency Support Unit better. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 39 survivors among the 167 victims of the Air China aircraft crash, Kimhae, Korea, on April 15, 2002, by using reports of the on-site disaster medical assistance team members, recordings of notifications to the Busan and the Kyoungnam 1339 Emergency Information Centers from the scene of accident, and medical records of the victims transported to hospitals. RESULTS: On the date of accident, April 15, 2002, 27 of the 39 survivors were transported to 5 hospitals in Kimhae and 12 were transported to 8 hospitals in Busan. On the next day, April 16, two patients who had been transported to hospitals in Kimhae were transferred to medical centers in Busan. One of them expired, and the other was subsequently transferred to a medical center in Seoul and expired on May 2, 2002. CONCLUSION: Still now, our National Disaster Medical System contains many problems, especially lack of cooperation between related parts, and insufficient communications. This study shows that we should recheck our National Disaster Medical Dystem and construct a cooperative Police, Fire defense organization, 1339 Emergency Medical Information Center, and regional medical service system.