SEOUL, May 13 (Reuters) - Families of victims from the

Jeju Air plane that crashed in December have filed a

criminal complaint against 15 people including South Korean

government officials and airline safety representatives, their

lawyers said on Tuesday.

Families of 72 of the victims from the Jeju Air crash on

December 29 said they were initiating the legal action against

officials including transport minister Park Sang-woo alleging

negligence in managing safety risks as well as violations of the

Aviation Safety Act.

The crash at South Korea's Muan Airport killed 179 people,

the deadliest air disaster on the country's soil.

The statement released by lawyers of the bereaved families

said a more thorough investigation was needed on the decision to

attempt a return to land immediately after a bird strike, on the

maintenance of the aircraft's engine, and on whether the

construction of a runway embankment was appropriate.

The Jeju Air Boeing (BA.N) 737-800 overshot Muan Airport's

runway as it made an emergency belly landing and crashed into an

embankment containing navigation equipment known as localisers,

killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on

board.