JET HORROR CRASH LANDING KILLS 179

Worst air accident ever on nation's soil | Youngest to die is a boy aged three

- MATTHEW YOUNG

A PLANE crash killed 179 people bit in South Korea's deadliest ever ad aviation disaster yesterday.

Two cabin crew were the only survivors after the Jeju Air flight skidded off the runway on landing then smashed into a wall and exploded at Muan International Airport. The youngest victim was a boy aged three.

A bird strike and landing gear failure are among possible causes being probed.

Final messages from victims included a passenger reportedly texting a relative to say a bird was stuck in a wing. The person added: "Should I say my last words?"

Flight 2216 was returning from Thailand's capital, Bangkok, with six crew and 175 passengers.

Distraught families were in the airport's arrival hall as they waited for bodies to be identified. Relatives screamed as the names of the dead were announced.

Some victims were only identifiable by fingerprints. Maeng Gi-su, 78, whose nephew and his nephew's two sons were on board, said: "I can't believe the entire family has disappeared. My heart aches so much."

He added it was the family's first trip abroad. They were celebrating the youngest son finishing some exams.