The youngest victim of the Jeju Air plane crash which killed 179 people was a three-year-old boy on his first overseas holiday.
Heart wrenching photos of the toddler on the way to the holiday to Thailand with his parents were shared on Instagram in the days before the disaster.
“The whole family’s first overseas DAY 1,” one translated caption, posted by his father, reads.
“My son is going overseas for the first time in a night flight.
“First stamp on the first passport lol! Went to the zoo and walked with the tiger and climbed on the tiger.”
Another post showed the three-year-old pictured with his passport at the airport.
The final image of Ko Yoonwoo was posted hours before the Jeju Air aircraft crashed into a concrete barrier and burst into flames at Muan International Airport.
“Before and after going in the tiger den,” the photo’s caption reads.
Jeju Air flight 7C2216 was touching down in Muan International Airport after flying out of Bangkok when it belly-landed, skidded off the runway and erupted into a fireball shortly after 9am local time.
Dozens dead after South Korean jet crash-lands at airport
A total of 179 out of 181 people – 85 women, 84 men and 10 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable – died in the fire, the South Korean fire agency said.
Two crew members survived and are being treated for injuries.
It marks the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil in history.
The BBC reports grieving families are still camping out at Muan International Airport to await the return of their loved ones’ bodies.
Officials are still working to identify the deceased following the crash on Sunday.
South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok has reportedly asked investigators to disclose findings to the bereaved families as quickly as possible.
The exact cause of the crash still remains unknown.
