Human remains discovered in wheel well of C-17 that departed Kabul with Afghans clinging to it

The United States Air Force says that human remains were found in the wheel well of a C-17 aircraft that departed from Kabul, Afghanistan over the weekend and that the details surrounding the flight, including social media posts showing Afghans clinging to and falling from the plane, are being investigated.

"Before the aircrew could offload the cargo, the aircraft was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians who had breached the airport perimeter," the Air Force said. "Faced with a rapidly deteriorating security situation around the aircraft, the C-17 crew decided to depart the airfield as quickly as possible. In addition to videos seen online and in press reports, human remains were discovered in the wheel well of the C-17 after it landed at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The aircraft is currently impounded to provide time to collect the remains and inspect the aircraft before it is returned to flying status." Cellphone footage of the chaotic airport scene went viral on Sunday as Afghans could be seen swarming the departing aircraft, with some of them managing to hop aboard the outside of the plane as it moved down the runway. Other videos appeared to show objects falling from the plane that were believed by most to be bodies of Afghans.