THE families of 11 South Korean tourists killed last year when their chartered PMT Air flight crashed into the side of a mountain in southern Cambodia are suing the airline for US$3.88 million, claiming that the carrier failed to prevent human and mechanical errors.

The Seoul Central District Court said Friday that the families filed the suit demanding compensation for loss of income, funeral fees and emotional stress, according to the Korean Yonhap News Agency.

"As the employer of the pilot of the plane and the contracted party for passenger transportation, PMT Air is responsible for compensation for damages incurred by the accident," the families claimed in the court document.

The Russian-made AN-24 crashed during bad weather on a forest-covered mountain near the coastal town of Kampot as it was on its way to Sihanoukville Airport from Siem Reap. A total of 22 people, including crew, were on board. There were no survivors in what was Cambodia's worst air crash in a decade.

South Korean investigators have concluded that the accident was caused by pilot error, problems with the airport's automated radar terminal system and defects in the plane.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP

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