Third Victim from San Francisco Airport Plane Crash Dies

Late Friday the coroner identified victim as 15 year old Chinese national

A teenager who was injured in the Asiana Airlines plane crash-landing Saturday at San Francisco International Airport has died, authorities said Friday, bringing the death toll from the crash to three.

At her parents' request, the hospital did not release any other details about her injuries.

The Chinese consulate said that the girl was a Chinese national. Late Friday, the San Mateo County Coroner identified her by name and said she was 15 years old. Coroner Robert Fourcault did not release a cause of death. NBC is not releasing her name out of respect to her parents request for privacy. 

The People's Daily newspaper in China reported the teen suffered some sort of blunt trauma in the crash. She had two surgeries performed this week and had been conscious for only a short time following the crash, the paper reported.

China News says she went to school with the other two victims that were killed in the crash.

Asiana Airlines President and CEO Young-Doo Yoon issued its own statement after learning of the girl's death.

"My deepest condolences go out to the grieving family and loved ones of this passenger and to all those who have been affected by this regretful incident," he said. "We will devote all attention and efforts to support the families of the victims and expedited recoveries for the other injured passengers."

San Francisco General Hospital is still treating six patients, five adults and a child, who were injured in the crash at the airport on Saturday.

Two of those patients, both adults, remain in critical condition with injuries that include spinal cord and abdominal trauma, road rash and  bone fractures, Kagan said. The other four patients' conditions range from serious to fair to good, she said.   

The hospital has handled a total of 67 patients who were injured  in the crash, according to  hospital spokeswoman Rachael Kagan.

Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed and broke apart at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday morning when it slammed into a seawall, after coming in too low and too slow.

The other two victims killed were two Chinese teen girls who were on their way to attend summer camp in California. Authorities confirmed earlier Friday that one of them was hit by a firetruck.

The disclosure about the teen raised the tragic possibility that she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath.

No one knows yet whether the two teens lived through the initial impact at the San Francisco airport. But police and fire officials confirmed Friday that Ye Meng Yuan, 16, was hit by a firetruck racing to extinguish the blazing Boeing 777.

Her close friend Wang Linjia, also 16, was among a group of passengers who did not get immediate medical help. Rescuers did not spot her until 14 minutes after the crash.

San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said the results of his initial inquiry into the deaths would likely be released sometime next week. He would not comment on the police investigation.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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