The boy was just 17-years-old
The family of a boy who fell to his death after hanging onto an aircraft in a desperate attempt to escape Afghanistan have spoken of their loss.
As thousands converged at Kabul airport to try and secure passage out of the city, distressing footage emerged which appeared to show people falling from an American C-17 aircraft after clinging onto its wheels.
A family has now told Vice that they believe one of the people was their 17-year-old son. Their other son, who is just 16, is also missing.
A relative told the website: “We are really upset that we’ve lost two… we’ve found the body of one of them, but the other one is still missing.
“Everyone is trying to run away. It is in fear of the Taliban, they are killing people. They have all left to go the airport… they want to go abroad.”
They explained how the boy heard rumours that Canada and the USA were accepting 20,000 refugees, and leapt at the chance to start a new life away from Taliban rule. He apparently left “without telling anyone in the house, he took his personal ID, and left to the airport.”
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The family member added that they found the teenager’s remains but were still searching for their other son.
“We hope to find him dead or alive so it will console our family,” they said. “We are worried, and we went from one hospital to another, but we didn’t get any information.
“His mother is devastated, she is passing out every now and then.”
The family are appealing to media to try and find him.
On Thursday, the Taliban urged people to leave Kabul airport, with 12 people now reported to have died in the chaos over recent days.
