Every February 6th, at 3:04 p.m., the cities of Manchester and Munich commemorate the tragic anniversary of one of the worst disasters in the world of football: the 1958 Munich Air Disaster.

The unfortunate event claimed the lives of 28 people, including eight Manchester United footballers, officials, coaching staff, journalists, and crew. They were all aboard an Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador aircraft, with 21 survivors out of 49 passengers, including the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton.

In 2024, on the 66th anniversary of the air tragedy, Manchester United's head coach, Erik Ten Hag, and captain Bruno Fernandes, were tasked with laying floral arrangements in an emotional ceremony in honor of the "Busby Babes."

Who were the victims of the Munich Air Disaster?

The entire Manchester United squad was aboard the aircraft, as they were returning from Belgrade, former Yugoslavia, after defeating Red Star Belgrade in the quarter-finals of the European Cup, now known as the Champions League.

There were 49 passengers on board the Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador, which made a technical stop in the German city of Munich to refuel. There were 6 crew members and 43 passengers, including players, coaching staff, officials from the English team, as well as journalists.

It was an accumulation of sleet that ultimately caused one of the most remembered disasters. Unfortunately, 23 people perished, including eight Red Devils players: Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Coleman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan, Duncan Edwards were the footballers who lost their lives; Walter Crickmer, Bert Whalley, and Tom Curry were part of the coaching staff and officials of United; Alf Clarke, Don Davies, George Follows, Tom Jackson, Archie Ledbrooke, Henry Rose, Eric Thompson, and Frank Swift were members of the press who lost their lives while reporting; Kenneth Rayment, Bela Miklos, Willie Santinoff, and Tom Cable were the other passengers and crew members who perished.