“Should I make a will?” : the last text message sent by a passenger just before the deadly crash in South Korea

One last text message before the crash. One of the passengers on the low-cost Jeju Air Boeing sent a message to one of his relatives to say that a bird was stuck in the wing of the plane, the agency reported. Press News1.

“We can't land because a bird got stuck in the wing”he first writes as reported, Chosun, one of South Korea's leading media outlets. His relatives then asked him when the incident happened. The passenger responds: “Right now. Should I make a will?”

After this last message, suggesting that the passenger expected the worst, contact was cut.

A warning message just before the crash

As a reminder, according to the South Korean press agency Yonhapthe airport control tower issued an alert at 8:57 a.m. (local time) regarding a risk of collision with birds. A minute later, the plane reported distress and attempted a first landing before crashing at 9:03 a.m. The final toll was 179 dead out of the 181 people on board. Only two crew members survived the crash.

A video broadcast by the South Korean channel MBC shows the plane landing with smoke coming from the engines, apparently without landing gear. The aircraft leaves the runway before being engulfed in flames.

Boeing announced in a statement that it was in contact with the airline and “be ready to help them”. The company also sent its condolences to the families of the victims.

All domestic and international flights were canceled at Muan Airport, Yonhap reported. Acting South Korean President Choi Sung-mok, appointed to lead the country on Friday following the dismissal of his predecessor, arrived at the scene of the accident and announced that the government was mobilizing all its resources to act after the disaster.

Two Thai women aged 22 and 45 were on the plane, Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said. Thailand's Foreign Ministry later confirmed that the two women were among the victims.