China sends 2 investigators for SFO crash probe

BEIJING - The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Wednesday that it has sent two specialists to the United States to track an investigation into Saturday's Asiana Airlines plane crash.

The experts, who will be participating in the investigation as observers, arrived in San Francisco early Wednesday, the CAAC said.

A total of 141 Chinese were among the 291 passengers aboard when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 bound for San Francisco from Seoul made a crash landing at the San Francisco International Airport on Saturday.

Among the 141 Chinese citizens, two were confirmed dead, one remains in critical condition and the other 138 were confirmed safe as of 12:00 Beijing Time, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

According to an annex from the Convention on International Civil Aviation, any country whose citizens suffer serious injuries or death in an aviation accident can send observers to track the investigative process.

The international convention also prescribes that the country where the accident happens must take charge of the investigation.

The US National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the ongoing investigation.