A couple flying on an aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff at the Chavez de Lima International airport in Peru last week posed for a selfie not long after surviving the crash.
The flight - operated by LATAM Airlines - was speeding along the tarmac ready to take off when it collided with a fire truck, tragically killing two firefighters inside, unbeknownst to the couple who took the selfie.
Of the 120 passengers, just 20 are being treated for injuries, however, there have been no reports of any fatalities on board. The Daily Mail detailed.
Videos of the incident have circulated on Twitter, showing that the fire truck found itself in the path of the aircraft, crashing into one of the wings and causing the plane's wheels to give way. The aircraft subsequently slid on the tarmac on its undercarriage, with part of it erupting into flames.
A man and woman who were onboard the terrifying flight managed to take a selfie with the plane - covered in aqueous film forming foam - in the background. The man - Enrique Varsi-Rospigliosi, a professor at the University of Lima - posted the image on Twitter with the caption: "When life gives you a second chance."
The pair are seen smiling as they pose for the now viral image, with Mr Varsi-Rospigliosi still displaying some of the foam on his face. In the background, the plane is shown to have a damaged wing, and one of its doors is still open.
The image didn't have the best reception on Twitter, as several people pointed out that two firefighters lost their lives in the crash.
"A simple text/call to your family would be far more appropriate! My thoughts are with the families of the [deceased] and injured," one person commented.
Another user added: "Isn't it kind of inappropriate to post selfies of a tragedy where human beings have died?"
Though, others added that there was nothing wrong with the image, with one person tweeting: "Now everything is through cell phone. They get angry because you take a selfie leaving unharmed, but they don't complain when they record the explosion of the plane. In fact thousands of people have said; I would have liked to have taken a picture that day, when they say something about life or death."
The flight crew was allegedly arrested shortly after the incident and held in custody, prompting the International Federation Air Line Pilots' Association (IFALPA) to release a statement saying that they should have been provided with medical care and evaluation before arrests were made.
"In no circumstances is it appropriate to question the flight crew of LATAM 2213 in the immediate aftermath of any accident or incident until they have been professionally evaluated by qualified medical personnel. The evaluation is to help determine their mental and physical fitness to contribute accurate information to investigators," the statement read, via Simple Flying.
The IFALPA also added that keeping the crew under arrest would give the public the indication that they had some involvement in the crash, instead of other possibilities. As of Saturday (November 19), the pilots had been released from custody.
