Devastating photos show a family with a young son, 3, enjoying their holiday before they perished in one of South Korea’s worst-ever plane crashes, according to reports.
Five of the 179 people who died in the crash at Muan International Airport on Sunday were children under the age of 10, as per MailOnline.
The youngest of them is thought to have been a three-year-old boy. He was seen in a picture taken only the day before the disaster as he flew with his family to Thailand—the first time he had gone on holiday abroad.
According to local media reports, the boy’s mum, Jin Lee Seon, 37 and dad, Kang Ko, 43, shared photos on Instagram of the family getaway only hours before boarding the flight home to South Korea.
One of the photos shows the youngster peering out of the plane window as headed to Bangkok, while another shows him with his passport along with a caption written by Mr Ko, reading: “My son is going abroad for the first time on a night flight, and his first passport has no stamp!”
All three died when the plane, apparently with its landing gear still closed, slammed on the tarmac at the airport, around 179 miles southwest of the South Korean capital, Seoul.
Four crew members also lost their lives, though two others were rescued from the wreckage having suffered “mid to severe” injuries, authorities said.
A video shows something striking the Boeing 737-800’s right engine during its descent to the airport, with material seemingly being blasted out of the exhaust.
Shortly after, the pilot issued a mayday call and was forced to abort an attempt to land several minutes later.
When the jet landed on its second attempt, the undercarriage did not extend, and other footage showed the bottom of the fuselage spewing sparks as it scraped along the runway.
Harrowing footage shows the plane skidding off the tarmac, striking an embankment, and exploding.
South Korea’s deputy transport minister announced today that South Korea has launched a “comprehensive inspection” of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines, as per Inquirer.net.
“Maintenance records of key systems such as engines and landing gear will be thoroughly reviewed for 101 aircraft operated by six airlines using the same model as the accident aircraft,” he said, adding that it would run until January 3.
Authorities are investigating what caused the deadly crash, which fire officials have indicated may have been caused by a bird strike and bad weather.
Aviation experts have questioned whether the plane’s being struck by a bird could have caused issues with its landing gear, but at this stage, there is limited information about what went so horribly wrong.
Jeju Air issued an apology, with officials bowing in front of cameras and vowing they would do all they could to help.
The low-cost carrier said: “We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident. We sincerely apologise for causing concern.”
In a statement posted on X, Boeing said it was in contact with Jeju Air and is ready to support the firm in dealing with the tragedy’s aftermath.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” Boeing said.
