Seoul dispatched a six-member investigation team to the United States..."Sejong (ANTARA News/Yonhap-OANA) - South Korea has launched a joint investigation with the United States to identify the cause of a passenger jet crash with an interview of South Korean pilots of the jet for the first time, the Seoul government said Monday.
Seoul dispatched a six-member investigation team to the United States shortly after the Asiana Airlines flight from the country`s Incheon International Airport crash-landed in San Francisco on Saturday (U.S. time).
The Boeing 777 plane, operated by South Korea`s second-largest flag carrier Asiana Airlines Inc., was carrying 307 people, including crew members. Two people, both Chinese, were killed in the accident with 181 others injured, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The official investigation began with an interview of the flight`s four pilots, who are currently staying at a San Francisco hotel, it said.
Two members of the South Korean investigation team have also been sent to Washington for a joint analysis of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the crashed jet.
Still, the ministry said it will take months, if not years, to identify the exact cause of the accident, noting the investigation of a 1997 crash of a Korean Air passenger jet took two years to be completed.
Out of 77 South Korean passengers on board, 11 are currently returning to the country via a special Asiana flight that is expected to arrive here at around 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to the ministry.
The South Korean airline is also arranging for families of those injured to visit San Francisco with at least 29 scheduled to head to the United States on Monday, it said.
(Uu.H-AK)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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