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CHINESE CITIZENS TODAY mourned the two teenage girls killed after a South Korean passenger jet crashed at San Francisco airport as survivors recounted harrowing details of their flight.
Chinese nationals made up 141 of the 291 passengers aboard the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 which burst into flames after it landed short of the runway, injuring 182.
The two girls were middle school students from east China’s Zhejiang province according to a preliminary report, state news agency Xinhua reported. Earlier, state broadcaster CCTV said they were born in 1996 and 1997.
The report quoted Asiana Airlines as saying the information was based on their boarding passes but their identities have not yet been confirmed by DNA testing.
Flying to summer camp
It added the two were among a group of 30 students who were flying to the United States along with their teachers to take part in a summer camp.
Another group of 30 students and six teachers from China’s northern Shanxi province were also aboard the same flight, Xinhua quoted officials as saying.
As of Sunday afternoon the Chinese consulate in San Francisco had confirmed the safety of 70 Chinese nationals and posted their names on its website.
CCTV urged survivors and their loved ones to post information on the online messaging system We Chat so they could find one another.
Mourning on social media
Social media users mourned the two girls killed on board.
“In a country of families with mostly single children, how can the parents take this?” wrote one on the Chinese microblog Sina Weibo, referring to China’s population-control policy limiting most families to one child.
“Life is supposed to have just started for them,” said another user. “Who knew the journey to the dream would become their last trip?”
Among the survivors were 60 students and several teachers travelling in two groups, with a few suffering injuries and one student unaccounted for, CCTV reported.
“When the crash happened we felt we were done for. Equipment and everything was falling on our heads,” a teacher from the northern province of Shanxi told CCTV.
But “none of us were seriously injured”.
Survivor reports of the crash
Xu Da, a Chinese passenger on board the plane — which originated in Shanghai and picked up passengers in South Korea before heading to the United States — described the dramatic incident to CCTV.
“I noticed the plane was flying quite low when landing, and as it was just about to land, the plane suddenly accelerated and the nose started to rise,” he said. “But at the time the plane was flying extremely low already.”
He added: “I felt a shock. The oxygen masks fell down and a bad smell began to spread throughout the plane. I could also see sparks in the front part of the plane.”
Once the plane landed the cabin was a “mess”, the back of the aircraft had a large hole and the kitchen there had disappeared, he said on Sina Weibo.
A student passenger surnamed Lin described darkness after the crash.
“There was dust everywhere and it was very dark. The air smelled horrible. Foam was gushing in and outside the jet,” he told the microblog service Tencent Weibo.
“To be honest the first thing I thought about was to look for my glasses.”
Xu and his wife quickly collected their belongings and rushed out the makeshift exit at the back.
“I feel very fortunate,” he wrote.
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Dirty b#stard should be chemically castrated and sentenced to a life time of hard labour.
Too good for him Ted…feed to hungry pigs I’d say..
Here we would have let him go while he appealed his conviction, which would have been half that of his actual one with 70% suspended. He would have also been released early for good behavior.
No we wouldn’t.
Life has to mean life for an evil beast like him. Whoever released him in ’92 after just 3 years for abducting and raping those other girls should be behind bars too.
Disgraceful that he has the nerve to seek an early release. Sicko
This type of individual is the worst of the worst. He needs to be kept under lock & key & studied in a bid to learn more about his kind. To allow him apply for parole makes a mockery of justice & insults the victims memories.
Guillotine the freak! Or at least his genitalia. I’m against capital punishment but firmly support the idea of a no nonsense approach when punishing those involved in sex crimes, especially against children. Rape Should be grounds for castration-zero tolerance.., period!
And cortorise his wound with a blow torch!
I’d be surprised if he’s not hunted for after release anyway. If I was the parent I’d go to hell and back to get him.
And what purpose would that serve?
Satisfaction
Go watch a Tarantino film you ape. Every time one of these stories appears you get the internet hardmen trying to outdo each other with stuff they would do to a sex offender. Funnily enough in real life the relatives of victims are markedly more restrained and dignified.
I don’t believe that we should destroy all paedophiles at birth like some others seem to do
But there are cases like this one, where it would be a sick joke to ever let them out of prison
How do you know that someone is going to be a paedophile at birth may I ask?
Give him the electronic bracelet.
Then run 50,000 volts through it.
In Brussels Airport with my young children in 1995, I picked up a double photo of the abducted girls asking travellers to look out in their own countries. A few weeks later Dutroux was arrested and the bodies were found. I often look at the photo and still feel a sense of upset knowing, when I picked it up, they were alive, suffering such an unthinkable ordeal and facing an horrific death, while my children are now living adult lives.
The sickest thing here is that this appeal was even entertained in the first place. They reject this appeal because he was not clear enough about where he would live?? How about they reject it because he’s an animal who should spend the rest of his life in a filthy hole? There is a lot wrong with a “justice” system that would even think about releasing such a person
Can’t understand the red thumbs here. This person should be exterminated like vermin
I disagree. I think death is an easy way out for someone like this. He should remain in prison for the rest of his days. A person like him doesn’t even deserve the option of rehabilitation.
If you read up on the case, you’ll see that Belgium is rotten. There’s plenty of politicians and police involved, in the worst sense.
Be warned, it’s not light reading.
According to Dutroux anyway, abut sure he wouldn’t be lying about that would he… The two surviving girls testified that they only ever saw Dutroux when they were imprisoned.
According to Dutroux anyway, but sure he wouldn’t be lying about that would he… The two surviving girls testified that they only ever saw Dutroux when they were imprisoned.
I’m talking about a paedophile ring. Those poor girls were kept in a basement, out of sight. Usually I like to have links to back up my comments, but I don’t want to go reading up on the case again, as it’s as shocking, depraved and depressing as stories get.
I don’t know why anyone would say, “ah sure we caught them two, let’s leave it at that!” They ALL need to be caught and locked up.
You obviously misunderstand me; what I’m saying is that despite the fact that Dutroux claimed there was this huge paedophile ring no evidence was ever found, Dutroux has always enjoyed his notoriety and the attention he got. Despite loads of media attention ( the Belgian Press referred to this alleged ring as The Pink Ballets )and and police investigation, no proof was found and no one was arrested
@Kevin
I know the exact link you’re referring to. I began reading this one weekend and I had to stop half way through simply because I have never come across anything so unbelievably shocking and disturbing in my life! Hollywood horrors pale in comparison to what was compiled in the report. I actually started to get depressed and very down while reading it.
One thing for sure is that Dutroux was just s foot soldier/procurer for a most perverse and downright evil bunch of people.
If it was my kids. Well…….has anyone seen Law Abiding Citizen?
Watched a documentary on this abomination and It suggested that some high level people were in involved in covering up his crimes for some time.
A Police officer didn’t search his house completely and “missed” the basement which was added and that held the poor Girls who this Monster has held captive.
People like Dutroux should never be released.
Some people can’t be reformed and will always be a risk to society.
If you got rid of his arms and legs he wouldn’t be a risk.
Let him rott in there
Such a grisly case, so sad
Cut his b@lls off
Released in1992 after only serving 3 years for abducting and raping 5 young girls?? What sort of warped system of justice let him walk out the door!!!
Such a grisly case, rip
Now then now then
have your say