Two flight attendants from Asiana flight were ejected from plane - and survived

It has emerged that two flight attendants, who were sitting at the back of Asiana flight 214, which crashed on Saturday at San Francisco Airport, were ejected and thrown onto the tarmac upon impact.

The Independent reports that the two attendants survived, but are seriously injured.

Speaking at a news conference, National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Deborah Hersman said: "Two flight attendants were ejected from the aircraft during the impact sequence so they were not at their stations when the aircraft came to rest. They were found down the runway and off to the side of the runway. Those flight attendants survived, but they obviously had gone through a serious event and have injuries."

BBC News reports that the senior pilot only realised that the plane was too low when it was flying at 500ft (152m). Investigators believe that the plane was flying too slowly when it hit a sea wall before crashing on the runway.

Two teenage Chinese girls died in the accident. They have been identified as Ye Megyuan and Wang Linjia. Police are investigating whether one of them survived the crash only to be run over by an emergency vehicle on its way to the crash site.

The two teenagers had been sitting in the rear of the plane, where many of the most seriously injured passengers were seated, but their bodies were found on the tarmac.

Astonishingly, 305 passengers survived the crash, most with little or no injuries. However, at least 30 passengers remain in hospital, many with serious spinal injuries.

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