All but one of 60 passengers who were “unaccounted for” are found
SAN FRANCISCO-- All but one of 60 passengers initially described as “unaccounted for” after an Asiana jetliner crashed landed Saturday at San Francisco International Airport have been located, officials said.
The passengers had evacuated the Boeing 777 after the 11:30 a.m. crash and were later located in the international terminal, officials said.
Asiana Airlines flight 214 originated in Shanghai and stopped in Seoul before heading to San Francisco. The crash killed at least two and injured dozens of others. A total of 307 people were on board, including 16 crew members.
The jetliner caught fire when it hit the tarmac, causing huge plumes of black smoke to billow into the sky.
Many passengers were able to get out of the plane before it was consumed by flames.
In a brief phone interview, a passenger who didn’t want to give his name told The Times that many passengers were able to get out unharmed. “Most of the people seem OK and we’re just letting the paramedics do their job,” he said.
Federal investigators were trying to determine what went wrong. But a source involved in the investigation said the plane appeared to have clipped a sea wall while landing.
Mechanical difficulties have not been ruled out, but investigators are focused on whether Asiana flight 214 from Seoul, South Korea, came in too low, according to sources familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The plane appeared to hit the sea wall dividing the airport runway from San Francisco Bay, possibly causing the tail to come apart.
Multiple sources told The Times that there was no reported trouble or declared emergency on the plane before it landed.
Witnesses described the plane coming in very low, and pictures and video from the accident appear to show that the debris field began at the sea wall and stretched for hundreds of feet.
Asked at a news conference if pilot error was a factor, Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said “everything’s on the table at this point. We have to gather all the facts before we reach any conclusions.”
Hersman said that federal investigators are deploying now to examine the crash. She said officials from South Korea will also be invited to participate in the investigation.
San Francisco officials said that of the 307 people aboard the plane, 181 were transported to hospitals with injuries, including 49 who were in serious condition. Authorities said 132 were uninjured and remained at the airport.
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