Unreal Photos Taken Before the Most Tragic Moments in History

This was the final photograph taken of legendary, Hollywood heartthrob James Dean. He’s momentarily captured at a gas station with his Porsche 550 Spyder in 1955. This picture was taken just hours before Dean’s fatal car crash in that same car. The totaled automobile mysteriously disappeared in 1960 from a shipment container after being shown at a safe driving presentation.

Darrell Lance Abbott, best known as “Dimebag Darrell,” was the songwriter and guitarist of the metal band Pantera. During a December 8, 2004, performance, former Marine Nathan Gale stormed the stage and fatally shot Dimebag Darrell. He also killed three others. Fans attempted CPR on the beloved guitarist, but it was too late and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

On January 7th, 2012, a hot air balloon struck a high voltage power line, and violently caught fire as it was attempting to land. It crashed just north of New Zealand town, Caterton, killing 10 passengers and the pilot. It was the deadliest air disaster to occur in New Zealand since 1963.

It was an incredibly tragic turn of events, for the sports world, in November of 2016. A Brazilian soccer team, Atletico Chapecoense, was headed to a championship game in Medellin, Colombia. They chartered a plane and took this photo in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where they had a layover, before boarding their final flight. Several other soccer players excitedly shared their photos on social media moments before take-off. It would be the last time they’re heard from again. The captain made an emergency call Monday night, reporting electrical failure. Just after, the plane crashed into the mountains, killing 71 people. There were only six initial survivors, but later another soccer team member passed away from injuries in the hospital.

More than 300 people, most of them high school students, were killed when a Sewol ferry sank on April 16, 2014. The ferry was reported to be overloaded and not structurally sound. Just before the boat capsized and sank students took video and sent messages to their parents. The crew had instructed the panicked students to stay in their cabins while they filled with water. Some joked around, not knowing how serious the event was about to become. Below is a screenshot from a video a student was taking as the ferry filled up with water.