Two Chinese girls confirmed dead, 49 in serious condition
THE Philippine Embassy in the United States said through social media that five Filipino-Americans, including a woman and her two sons were among the 181 injured in the Asiana Airlines Flight 241 crash at the San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, July 6.
This information was based on a report by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco. It was then relayed by the Philippine Embassy in the US via Twitter (@philippinesusa).
Philippine Consul General Marciano Paynor identified the woman as Maricel Anino Knaus of Fort Collins, Colorado.
The consulate said that Knaus and her sons sustained injuries in the crash, but they have already been discharged from the San Francisco General Hospital.
The Philippine Consulate in San Francisco reported earlier that the Filipino community was initially unaware that Fil-Ams were on board the ill-fated Asiana Flight 214.
But later on, the consulate identified Knaus and her two sons as among the injured.
According to the embassy, relatives in Cebu have since tried to reach out to the consulate with the help of ABS-CBN, to determine the condition of Knaus.
According to reports, the Boeing 777, which carried Asiana Flight 214, was about to land when its tail struck a seawall at the end of the runway and broke off. The plane slid several hundred yards on the ground before coming to a halt.
The fourth and fifth Fil-Ams injured in the crash were retired couple from New Castle, California, Ruben and Belen Vellero. The couple is now at the Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto. The 69-year-old Ruben suffered cracked ribs and a lacerated liver, while his wife has bruises all over her back and suffered liver injuries.
Of the 307 passengers onboard, 123 escaped without injury, while 181 were hospitalized or treated for injuries.
According to a statement from Malacañang, 49 among the injured are in serious condition and 5 (including a child) remain in critical condition at the San Francisco General Hospital.
Authorities probe if rescue vehicle ran over crash victim
At least two Chinese teens were confirmed dead in the incident. According to the Associated Press, Chinese state media identified the two casualties as Ye Mengyuan, 16, and Wang Linjia, 17. The two girls were said to be high school classmates from the Zhejiang province in eastern China.
According to Chinese education authorities, Mengyuan and Linjia were among a group of 29 students and five teachers who were heading to Southern California to attend summer camps.
Local and federal authorities are currently investigating if one of the two girls was run over by a fire truck that rushed to the scene.
Police spokesperson Albie Esparza said that “an investigation is underway” but did not reveal further details.
San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said in a news briefing that one of their fire apparatus “may have come into contact” with one of the two victims.
“I assure you, we are looking closely at this,” Hayes-White said.
Fire Department officials said that they would not provide further details because of the ongoing investigation by the police department, the Coroner’s Office, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
NTSB Chairperson Debora Hersman said that airport video surveillance seen by federal authorities proved inconclusive. Hersman added that her agency wants to make sure that they have all the facts before they come to a conclusion.
San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault, whose office is tasked with investigating the facts surrounding the two girls’ deaths, said on Monday that the victims were identified by their fingerprints. Part of his work includes examining the evidence, determining if the girl was indeed hit by the fire truck, and if she was still alive when it happened.
According to AP, Foucrault has chosen to postpone the release of his findings on the preliminary causes of the girls’ deaths. The coroner said that he will wait until he has done a broader investigation, which will include a review of written reports by first responders.
“I want to make absolutely sure my conclusions are correct,” Foucrault said.
Filipino airport workers witness crash
According to a report by ABS-CBN, Filipino workers at the San Francisco International Airport saw the crash as it happened.
“Nung pag-touchdown, nakita namin,” Lolita Laqui told ABS-CBN. Laqui is a Filipino passenger service assistant working at the airport.
“Tapos nun, tumaas ba yung unahan tapos bumaba yung buntot. Nung pagbaba ng buntot, umusok na. Maputi munang usok, tapos nung matagal itim na! Nakakatakot naman! Kitang-kita namin. Nerbiyos na nerbiyos kami,” Laqui said.
Another Filipino airport worker, Bai Robinson, said that she saw the Boeing 777 catch fire.
ABS-CBN reported that many Filipino airport workers who witnessed the catastrophe grew concerned about the situation as it developed. They feared that kababayans were among the Flight 214 passengers.
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 originated from Shanghai and stopped in Seoul en route to San Francisco.
(With reports from PCOO, ABS-CBN, AFP, Philstar and AP)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek July 10-12, 2013 Sec A pg.1)
