Plane crash-lands at US airport

 by Agency Reporter 

PLANE CRASH-LANDS: The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 at San Francisco International Airport, United States ...on Saturday,
| credits: AFP

A Boeing 777 aircraft on Saturday crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport, United States, British Broadcasting Corporation reports.

There is no word so far on casualties. Pictures posted on Twitter showed passengers jumping down the inflatable emergency slides and leaving the area, as plumes of smoke rise from the plane.

Firefighters and rescue teams were at the scene of the downed Asiana Airlines Flight 214. The cause of the emergency is not known.

The aircraft had taken off from South Korea’s capital, Seoul.

There were 292 passengers and 16 crew on board, South Korea’s official news agency Yonhap reported. The plane can carry as many as 300 passengers.

While the sequence of events remains unclear, it appeared the plane landed and then crashed on San the airport’s Runway 28L, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman, Laura Brown.

Footage of the scene showed debris strewn on the runway and smoke pouring from the jet, as fire crews sprayed a white fire retardant into gaping holes in the craft’s roof.

One engine and the tail fin appeared to have broken away from the main wreckage.

Passenger David Eun tweeted a picture of people jumping out of the plane’s emergency inflatable slides and wrote, “I just crash-landed at SFO. Tail ripped off. Most everyone seems fine. I’m ok. Surreal…”

Another passenger, Mr. Eun, who describes himself as a “digital media guy” and “frequent flier”, added, “Fire and rescue people all over the place. They’re evacuating the injured. Haven’t felt this way since 9/11.”

A witness, Ki Siadatan, said the plane “looked out of control” as it descended over San Francisco Bay to land just before 11:30 (18:30 GMT).

“We heard a ‘boom’ and saw the plane disappear into a cloud of dust and smoke,” he told the BBC, adding, “There was then a second explosion.”

He saw events unfold from the balcony of his home in the Millbrae area of San Francisco, which overlooks the airport.

Weather conditions were fine and there was little wind, he added. Arrivals and departures at the airport have been suspended since the incident.

The twin-engine Boeing 777 has a good safety record as a long-haul aircraft and is used by many major carriers.

Asiana is South Korea’s second-largest airline.