Air crash passengers prayed for lives

Investigators pass the detached tail and landing gear of Asiana Flight 214 after the crash at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday. Noah Berger /AP Photo

Investigation task force

A crash investigation task force consisting of eight officials from the South Korean government left Incheon International Airport at 1:30 pm on Sunday and was scheduled to arrive in San Francisco at 7 am on Monday, according to Yonhap News Agency.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye expressed her condolences to the passengers and their families on Sunday: "All the relevant government bodies will work together and make every effort to deal quickly with the aftermath of this accident."

Boeing, the maker of the 777 aircraft, released a statement on Saturday. "Boeing will join the United States' National Transportation Safety Board at their request to provide technical assistance to their investigation. In accordance with the international protocol governing aviation accident investigations, all inquiries about the investigation must be directed to the NTSB."

"Boeing extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who perished in the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 accident in San Francisco, as well as its wishes for the recovery of the injured."

On Saturday, Edwin M. Lee, the mayor of San Francisco, wrote on his Sina micro blog: "Our city's sympathy and support go out to the passengers of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 and their families. They remain our first priority."

The president of Asiana Airlines, Yoon Young-doo, said at a news conference in Seoul on Sunday: "I sincerely apologize for the accident, and to the passengers and their families."

He said the three pilots on the flight were highly experienced, with combined flying time of around 10,000 hours. He confirmed that their actions were in line with aviation laws. He said there were no indications of technical failure in the aircraft's systems or the engines, and the passengers received no warning before the accident.

Zhang Yuwei in New York, Chang Jun in San Francisco, Hou Liqiang, Wang Wen, Zhang Fan and Wang Shanshan in Beijing contributed to this story.