A passenger aboard the doomed Jeju Air flight texted a relative with a final message moments before the plane slammed into a concrete barrier and burst into flames in South Korea, killing 179 people.
One of the passengers aboard the jet, which flew from Thailand to Muan International Airport Sunday morning, texted a relative that a bird was stuck in the plane’s wing, according to News1 agency.
“Should I say my last words?” the passenger texted their relative, according to the outlet.
Video captured the horrifying moment the twin-engine Boeing 737-800 skidded down the runway with no working landing gear and slammed into a wall in a fiery explosion.
Two crew members survived, but all others aboard are believed to be dead, officials said. The victims — including 85 women, 84 men, and 10 others who were not immediately identifiable — died in the blaze, the South Korean fire agency said.
The lone pair of survivors were pulled to safety. Officials said they were not in life-threatening condition.
All passengers were South Korean nationals, except for two Thai nationals, officials said.
Some 1,570 firefighters, police officers, soldiers and other rescue workers were sent to the scene following the crash.
Horrifying footage shows the Boeing jet’s explosion as it happened — with the plane appearing to land on its belly, sparks and smoke flying from the runway before it crashes and explodes in a fireball.
The plane had attempted one landing before the crash, but was forced to “go around” and try again when the landing gear failed to lower.
Officials are investigating various theories about what caused the crash, including whether the plane was struck by birds, according to Muan Fire Chief Lee Jeong-hyeon.
Transport Ministry officials said the airport control tower issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land and gave its pilot permission to land in a different area.
The pilot then sent out a distress signal just before the plane overshot the end of the runway and skidded across a buffer zone before hitting the wall, the officials said.
The plane’s black box has been retrieved and will be examined as part of the investigation. The runway at Muan airport will be closed until Jan. 1, transport ministry officials added.
With Post wires
