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CNN Live At Daybreak

54 Survive Air China Crash

Aired April 15, 2002 - 07:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Up front this morning, an Air China passenger jet split in half after slamming into a mountain as it tried to land in thick fog at the Kimhae Airport in Busan, Korea. The plane was carrying 166 people, including 11 crewmembers. Most of the passengers were Koreans returning from vacations in China; 54 people survived that crash, some in critical condition.

Sohn Jie-Ae is at the crash site in Busan. She has the very latest for us now -- good morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Work continued into the night at the site of the crash of Air China Flight 129. Rescue workers scoured the wide crash site, searching for victims and clues as to what caused the passenger airliner to head into a mountain near the southern city of Busan with 166 passengers on board.

But shortly after the crash, rescue workers were able to pull nearly a third of the passengers out alive. Treated at nearby hospitals, the survivors relayed the last terrifying moments of the ill-fated flight.

Rain and heavy fog, which prevented helicopters from aiding the rescue workers seemed to have contributed to the crash. Most domestic and international flights were turned away from the Kimhae Airport due to bad weather conditions.

Sohn Jie-Ae, CNN, Kimhae, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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