The cabin of Asiana Flight 214 that crashed in San Francisco on Saturday
This first glimpse inside Asiana Airlines Flight 214, which crashed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, gives some indication as to how all but two of the 307 passengers and crew made it out alive. Aerial shots of the lacerated fuselage show a gaping void in the charred roof, but here we see that the integrity of the cabin interior remained largely intact.
The Boeing 777 approached with a chillingly low trajectory after the 12-hour flight from the South Korean capital, Seoul. There are reports that the plane attempted to abort the landing immediately before the crash, but instead hit the edge of the airport runway, severing its tail before spinning out of control. Rescue crews braved the ensuing inferno to help passengers escape through emergency exits and gaps torn through the hull.
The two fatalities were 16-year-old Chinese students Ye Mengyuan and Wang Linjia, whose bodies were discovered on the runway. In addition, more than 100 survivors suffered serious injuries, while doctors say at least two people have been paralyzed. Investigators are currently assessing whether the shutdown of a key navigational aid may have played a role in the crash.
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