One of the Delta Airlines workers who died in a freak tire explosion in Atlanta suffered such catastrophic injuries that his body was left “unrecognizable” — and his family had to identify him through his tattoos, according to his grieving son.
Andre Coleman said his family helped identify his father, Mirko Marweg, 58, as one of the two airline workers killed on Tuesday as they were prepping a plane’s wheel components for maintenance at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“I wanted to view the body because I didn’t believe it was true. Neither did my mom,” Coleman told 11Alive News.
He said when they tried to see Marweg, the Clayton County Medical Examiner advised against it because the blast left the body “unrecognizable.”
Given the damage to his corpse, Coleman and his family could only identify Marweg through his tattoos and signature Mississippi State lanyard around his neck.
Marweg, an Air Force veteran and handyman who was described by his family as “Mr. Fix-It,” died along with his co-worker, 37-year-old Luis Aldarondo, while another maintenance worker was left seriously injured.
Coleman said he was with his dad just two days before the incident, with Marweg helping to change the oil in his son’s motorcycle.
“That’s the kind of dad he was. He was always there,” Coleman told the local station. “My dad was an amazing guy, wonderful father, wonderful husband.”
Delta’s TechOps Chief of Operations issued a statement to all employees following Marweg and Aldarondo’s deaths on Tuesday.
“I’m deeply saddened to share that three TechOps team members were involved in an accident that took place early this morning in Atlanta TOC 3, Dept. 391 – Wheel & Brake Shop,” COO John Laughter wrote.
“Tragically, two of our team members involved passed away and one other team member was seriously injured,” he added. “This news is heartbreaking for all of us.”
Delta issued a similar statement as it promised to launch a full investigation into the explosion, whose cause has yet to be revealed.
The company said the wheel parts that were being disassembled for maintenance were not attached to the plane at the time of the explosion.
The tire that exploded was from a plane that had traveled from Las Vegas to Atlanta on Sunday night.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating.
