'Disgusting': T-shirts depicting Afghans falling from US plane being sold online
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Social media users voiced their anger and disgust after some online retailers put up for sale a T-shirt showing Afghans falling to death from a US evacuation plane.
Thousands of Afghans have flocked to the Kabul airport this week in a bid to flee the country, following the Taliban's lightning offensive that ended with them assuming power when president Ashraf Ghani fled.
In a harrowing video from the airport on Monday, hundreds of people were seen running alongside a US Air Force plane as it gathered speed on the runway — several men desperately holding onto the side.
Further clips on social media appeared to show two people falling to their deaths from a C-17 aircraft after it took off.
Human remains were later found in a wheel well, the US military confirmed, adding that it was investigating the reported deaths linked to the C-17.
In an attempt to capitalise on the tragedy, some profiteers put up apparel for sale online that appeared to mock the Afghans who died falling from the plane.
The offensive tee is emblazoned with the text “Kabul Skydiving Club Est. 2021”, and features the silhouette of a military aircraft and two people plummeting from it.
The shirt surfaced on several online clothing stores, including Tee4Sport and TShirtAtLowPrice.com, according to news.com.au.
The apparel available for both men and women in various colours was also being sold by an Etsy shop called 'conaneShop'.
“Featuring the scene of the plane flying in the sky and suddenly, there are two people falling from it, the Kabul Skydiving Club Shirt is officially becoming a phenomenon and goes viral on the Internet after that!” read one description.
Shocked by images of the T-shirt, netizens called upon Etsy, the parent e-commerce platform, to take down the post, with one Twitter user terming it a "disgusting way of making money".
While the brand selling the tee took down the advertisement following backlash, similar apparel was still available on websites such as TopTeeTrend, Gebli and TShirtAtLowPrice, among others, The Indian Express reported.
