A dog named Pudding has been faithfully waiting for its family, unaware that they will never return home after they were killed in South Korea’s worst air disaster.
Among the 179 victims of the Jeju Air Flight 112 catastrophe on Sunday were all nine members of its family.
They died in a fireball as the fated plane smashed into a wall in the Muan International Airport, leaving only two cabin crew as survivors.
Pudding was left alone in a village in Yeonggwang County after its 79-year-old owner failed to return home after a trip to Thailand.
His wife, two daughters, his son-in-law, his six-year-old granddaughter and three grandsons were also killed in the crash.
The family had travelled to the Thai capital of Bangkok to mark Pudding’s owner’s 80th birthday.
The dog was seen roaming alone between the family home and the village centre after the tragedy, adding to the collective grief among locals.
It stared at the passing cars and buses, appearing to be searching for its family, South Korea’s animal rights group Care said in a post on Instagram.
A post on Instagram said: ‘I met Pudding who was sitting on the steps in front of the roadway party and waiting impatiently.
A video shared by the organisation shows the dog’s eyes dimmed with confusion and grief.
Knowing that the family was killed in the disaster, villagers would feed the pet out of sympathy until Care stepped in and rescued it.
‘We determined that it was unsafe for Pudding to roam the village without a caretaker,’ Care added.
The pet is now being looked after by the group while they find a suitable family to rehome it.
Pudding’s loyalty to its family is comparable to the legendary Hachiko, the Akita dog in Japan who waited every day at a train station for his deceased owner to return.
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