Hours after the disaster at Muan Airport in South Korea, the picture of the disaster is becoming clearer, as is the magnitude of the tragedy.
Although the official final death toll has not yet been published, official sources in the operating company said that all passengers died in the terrible disaster, except for two crew members.
According to a Reuters report, the crew members who survived the crash hid in the tail of the plane, apparently due to their training in the field after realizing this was their best chance of survival.
So far, the deaths of 167 people have been officially confirmed, making this the deadliest incident ever in the country.
The Reuters report also indicates that very close to landing, the pilot received a warning from the control tower about a flock of birds spotted nearby.
Shortly after receiving the message from the control tower, the pilot shouted the distress call 'MAYDAY' over the radio, which suggests that the plane's landing gear did not deploy in time due to the flock of birds that apparently damaged the aircraft's systems.
Meanwhile, authorities in the country have begun calling victims' families to come to the airport. While some victims' names were announced loudly in the waiting hall, at some point the company decided to call family members personally to "maintain their privacy," according to the Airport Authority.
At one point, one of the family members approached the microphone and asked journalists to stop photographing them and respect their privacy as they mourn their loved ones.
0 Comments