Survivor suffers memory loss, passengers told to 'make phone calls'

Stacy Shi, Marcus Lum and agencies

A male flight attendant - one of two cabin crew members who miraculously survived the deadliest plane crash in South Korea - could not recall anything about the incident, while final messages from passengers of the ill-fated flight to their family members surfaced on local media.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the 33-year-old crew member surnamed Lee remained conscious with a normal pulse and was able to walk. But he suffered from a memory loss.

"What exactly happened [to me]?" Lee asked when doctors checked on his condition. Doctors also said the survivor had no idea why he was in the hospital.

Lee recalled that he had fastened his seat belt before the incident but could not remember anything afterward, and thought the flight had landed normally.

The female survivor was taken to Mokpo Jungang Hospital.

Meanwhile, local media revealed heart-wrenching messages sent by the plane's passengers in the moments leading up to the incident.

A screen capture showed a daughter's attempt to make a final phone call to her mother, which was not answered.

"Mom, it seems a bird struck the plane and we can't land, they asked us to make phone calls. [You] didn't pick up, so I'm leaving a message on KaKaoTalk. Mom, I love you," the daughter said.

A man was also reported to be waiting for his family at the airport when he received their last messages at around 9am, just before the crash.

"A bird struck the wing and we can't land," the message read. When the man asked when did it happen, they replied a minute later: "Just now. Should I leave my last words?"

The Chinese embassy in South Korea reported that preliminary data showed no Chinese nationals were among the passengers. The Hong Kong Immigration Department confirmed it has not received any calls for assistance and is monitoring the situation.

South Korea's acting president Choi Sang Mok declared a seven-day national mourning period.

President Xi Jinping also sent a message of condolences to Choi, saying he was shocked to learn about the crash, and expressed sincere sympathies to the bereaved families.