2 perish in US jet crash, three Indians among 305 survivors

But the rest of the 291 passengers and 16 crew members escaped either unscathed or with lesser injuries as the plane crashlanded at 11:27 a.m. on Saturday after an 11-hour flight from Seoul, officials said.

The Flight 214 was making a seemingly routine approach to San Francisco International Airport on a calm, clear Saturday morning, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

‘Suddenly, the Boeing 777 slammed hard into the ground just short of the runway, bounced in the air and then pancaked, skidding and shedding parts as the terrified passengers hung on for their lives,’ it said. ‘A massive fireball and clouds of smoke shot skyward. First responders rushed to the scene as horrified onlookers at the airport terminal feared the worst,’ according to a CNN account.

Medics found the bodies of two Chinese girls on the runway, next to the burning wreckage. The airline identified the girls as students Wang Linjia and Ye Mengyuan, 

both 16. In a twitter message, Indian ambassador to Seoul Vishnu Prakash said: ‘ASIANA mishap at SFO: 3 Indians on board too. 1 suffered collar bone fracture & other minor injuries. Wish ASIANA gives out complete info.’

In a later update, he wrote, ‘One boy received superficial injuries. The 3rd is fine’ and thanked Asiana ‘for the update # Indians injured’.