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Back up in the air again.
"Vehicle killed teen after San Francisco plane crash; Girl was alive but covered in foam" by Terry Collins | Associated Press, July 20, 2013
SAN MATEO, Calif. — As the wreckage of Asiana Flight 214 burned, Ye Meng Yuan was lying on the ground just 30 feet away, buried by the firefighting foam rescue workers were spraying to douse the flames.
No one knows exactly how the 16-year-old Chinese student got to that spot, but one thing is clear now: She was alive.
In the chaotic moments that followed — flames devouring the fuselage, those aboard escaping by emergency slides, flight attendants frantically cutting away seat belts to free passengers — an emergency vehicle ran over Yuan, killing her.
The new details — released Friday by the coroner’s office — compounded the tragedy for her family and confirmed the growing suspicions that emergency workers have had since soon after the July 6 crash: One of the three who died did so by rescuers’ actions.
‘‘There’s not a lot of words to describe how badly we feel, how sorry we feel,’’ said Joanne Hayes-White, the San Francisco fire chief.
Yuan’s family was upset after learning the details of their daughter’s death and wants her body returned to China, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said.
‘‘It was a difficult conversation,’’ he said.
Hayes-White said she was trying to arrange a meeting with them and that the ‘‘tragic accident’’ would prompt a review of how the fire department uses the foam and responds to emergencies at the airport.
In a statement, the Chinese consulate called on authorities to determine responsibility for Yuan’s death.
In all, 304 of the 307 people aboard the Boeing 777 survived the crash at San Francisco International Airport.
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