On Sunday, December 29th, a major air disaster occurred involving a Jeju Air aircraft in South Korea, with only 2 out of 181 people onboard surviving. Reports from Korean media revealed a passenger’s final message to family moments before the plane crash: “Should I write my will?” A father expressed shock at bidding what turned out to be a final farewell to his daughter.
The Jeju Air flight 7C2216, departing from Bangkok, Thailand, crashed while attempting to land at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, veering off the runway, hitting the airport perimeter wall, and subsequently catching fire.
Media outlets such as “News1” and JTBC reported that just before the air disaster occurred, a passenger onboard sent a message to family mentioning a bird striking the wing of the aircraft.
“A bird hit the wing, we can’t land,” the passenger communicated via the Korean messaging platform KakaoTalk.
“When did this happen?” asked the recipient.
“Just now… should I write my will?” replied the passenger before losing contact.
The flight carried 181 individuals, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. Tragically, all passengers perished in the incident, with only two crew members surviving.
According to Lee Jung-hyu, the captain of the Incheon Fire Department, who spoke at a press conference, the two surviving crew members are a male and a female who were rescued from the burning tail section of the aircraft.
Of the 175 passengers who lost their lives, 173 were South Koreans and 2 were Thai nationals. Boonchuay Duangmanee, the father of one of the Thai victims, Jongluk, expressed disbelief, stating, “I heard this morning that a plane exploded in South Korea, but I never imagined my daughter was on that flight.”
Jongluk had been working at a factory in South Korea for years and had boarded the flight from Bangkok to Incheon International Airport after returning to Thailand for a visit.
“I never expected that this would be our last meeting,” he lamented.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, with some experts casting doubts on the theory that a bird strike triggered the disaster.
(Adapted from a report by CNN)