THIS is the horrific moment a doomed passenger jet struck a bird before skidding off a runway and exploding – leaving 179 dead. Tragic scenes unfolded in South Korea when a Boeing 737-800’s landing gear failed, and the plane slammed into the tarmac at Muan International Airport.
The official death toll is 179 – with all 175 passengers killed, four crew members dead, and two crew members rescued.
The youngest victim was tragically a three-year-old, with most passengers being families returning home from a package holiday to Thailand.
A 60-year-old man was mourning at the airport after losing five members of his family, spanning three generations.
What caused the disaster remains a mystery, but footage showed the single-aisle plane striking a bird with its right engine as it came in to land in the southwestern city of Muan.
