The Story Of The 21-Year-Old Who Died Helping A Plane Escape Indonesia's Earthquake
He was reportedly the last person to leave the control tower.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 01 Oct 2018, 06:06 PM
Anthonius Gunawan Agung was on duty at the control tower of Palu airport when a 7.5 magnitude quake struck Sulawesi on Friday, 28 September
Instead of immediately leaving his post to save himself, the 21-year-old air traffic controller waited until the Batik Air plane he was guiding was safely airborne, BBC reported.
According to ABC, he was reportedly the last person to leave the control tower at Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport as his colleagues had run for their lives when the tower started to sway and the walls started to crack.
Trapped in a crumbling control tower, Agung was forced to jump from the fourth storey.
With broken arms, legs, and ribs, he was taken to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The damaged air traffic control tower at the Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport in Palu, Central Sulawesi.
Image via The Jakarta Post"Agung dedicated himself to his job until the end of his life," corporate secretary for Air Navigation Indonesia Didiet KS Radityo told The Jakarta Post.
Yohannes Sirait, the spokesman for Air Navigation Indonesia, revealed that Agung's sacrifice potentially saved hundreds of lives
In a show of appreciation, the organisation posthumously promoted Agung by two ranks.
After news of Agung's act of heroism broke, several social media users took to Twitter to post touching tributes
