Seoul: The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Thursday that the process of securing audio files from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Jeju Air aircraft involved in this week's fatal crash is nearing completion. The successful retrieval of data from the CVR marks a critical step in the investigation of the incident.

According to Yonhap News Agency, officials confirmed that the conversion of the retrieved data into voice files is currently underway and is expected to be finalized later in the day. Once the data processing is complete, authorities will commence a detailed analysis of the audio and generate a transcript of the conversations and sounds captured by the CVR.

The CVR is crucial for investigations as it captures conversations among cockpit crew, interactions with air traffic control, and various warning sounds, preserving up to two hours of audio until the aircraft's engines are shut down. The device from the crashed B737-800 was recovered in relatively intact condition on Sunday, the day of the tragic event.

In addition to the CVR, a separate flight data recorder was also retrieved from the aircraft. Officials stated that this recorder would be sent to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board headquarters in Washington for further analysis.