Sunday as those who survived spoke of a "miraculous" escape as the
Boeing 777 hit the runway.
A representative of Asiana Airlines confirmed that 16-year-olds Ye
Meng Yuan and Wang Lin Jia died as a result of the impact. Both were
students and Chinese nationals.
Meanwhile other passengers – some still being treated for injuries in
hospital – continued to tell of their escape from the wreckage after
the aircraft's tail broke off and fire began to take hold.
In all, 180 people were injured in the crash. But many have expressed
surprise at the low death count, given the state of the plane after
the impact.
"It's miraculous we survived," said Vedpal Singh, who was seated in
the middle of the aircraft with his family.
He told of how passengers were given no forewarning from the pilot or
crew members before the moment of impact on the runway. After the
plane came to a rest, people tried to get out anyway they could, Singh
said.
His 15-year-old son spoke of luggage tumbling from overhead
compartments as people tried to make their way to the exits. Pictures
taken in the aftermath of the crash showed that the planes emergency
chutes were deployed to help survivors get to safety.
David Eun, a Samsung executive travelling on the plane posted a photo
of fellow passengers leaving the wreckage. Some appeared to have found
time to take their luggage from the plane.
But others spoke of moments of panic as people scrambled to escape.
"Everyone was screaming. I was trying to usher them out," said
passenger Benjamin Levy, who had been seated in an emergency row.
Onlookers described how the plane wobbled on hitting the runway before
losing control.
A plane-spotter, Anthony Castorani, told CNN he heard a "pop" as the
jet landed, followed by a brief fireball at which point the aircraft
began to break up and spin. Castorani, who was watching aircraft land
from a nearby hotel room, said there was no indication that the
airport was prepared for an emergency landing.
"It was coming in very nicely," he told CNN. But as it landed he
witnessed a larger plume of smoke from the landing gear than is
usually seen. After a "pop" he saw a brief fire take hold at which
point the plane's tail became detached.
Ki Siadatan lives near to the San Francisco International Airport and
watched the drama unfold from his balcony.
"My initial reaction was I don't see how anyone could have made it."
But of the 307 people on board the flight from Seoul, all but two
survived. Scores, however, remain in hospital, with some in a critical
condition.
The two passengers who died were found on the "exterior" of the plane,
according to San Francisco fire department chief Joanne Hayes-White.
"Having surveyed that area, we're lucky that there hasn't been a
greater loss, she added.
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