Packed US cargo plane carried record 823 passengers out of Afghanistan

An initial count of 640 passengers was recorded earlier, but that figure inadvertently left out 183 children sitting on people's laps.

People board a Spanish airforce A400 plane as part of an evacuation plan at Kabul airport in Afghanistan. (Photo | AP) 

WASHINGTON: The US Air Force says the cargo plane packed with Afghan refugees whose photo was widely shared online actually carried even more people than originally thought -- 823 -- and marked a new passenger record for the aircraft.

The brief statement by the Air Mobility Command on Friday said the C-17 that departed the capital, Kabul, last Sunday had an initial count of 640 passengers, but that figure inadvertently left out 183 children sitting on people's laps.

The statement said the correct count of 823 passengers is a record for the C-17.

It took off as the Taliban swept into the city, prompting thousands of Afghans and foreigners to rush to the airport seeking flight out with some reaching the tarmac.