South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines has apologised for the crash landing of flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday which resulted in two teenage fatalities.
A total of 291 were aboard the Boeing 777 aircraft when it skidded from the runway before being engulfed in flames.
During the crash landing, two 16 year old girls died as they were thrown clear of the plane. Ye Mengyuan and Wang Linjia were part of a group of 29 students and five teachers on a school trip from Jianshan Middle School in China's eastern Zhejiang province.
A further 19 passengers remain hospitalised with six said to be in a critical condition.
A statement from the airline said: “We at Asiana Airlines would like express our utmost sympathy and regret for the distress experienced by the passengers of OZ flight 214 and their families as a result of this accident. We apologise most deeply.”
Asiana confirmed it has established emergency response centres to ascertain the cause of the crash. The centres are also looking after injured passengers and contacting their families.
“Asiana continues to actively cooperate with all Korean and US governmental institutions in the ongoing investigation,” it said.
