Fil-Am survivors recount air crash

PALO ALTO – There was a loud explosion. As smoke began spreading, the plane was filled with screams and loud wailing.

Filipino couple Ruben and Belen Vallero recounted their experience on Asiana Airlines Flight 214, which crashed at the San Francisco International Airport on Saturday.

The Philippine embassy in Washington said the Valleros were the fourth and fifth Filipino-Americans injured in the crash.

Aside from the couple, Maricel Anino-Knaus, a 38-year-old Filipina, and her two young sons were also among the survivors.

In a report posted on ABS-CBN News Online, Belen said she thought it was the end for her and her husband.

“We heard a big explosion at the back. That’s when we realized we were really in trouble. All you could hear were screams, cries and shouts,” Ruben said.

The couple managed to take videos of the event on their phones. They saw parts of the roof of the plane and bags falling on the passengers, followed by smoke.

As the smoke thickened, people started to panic. They rushed to get out of the plane.

“I held on to him as we headed for the slide,” Belen said.

The plane crash left the 69-year-old Ruben with two cracked ribs and a lacerated liver, while 71-year-old Belen has bruises all over her back. She also suffered from liver injuries.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said the officials of the Philippine consulate general in San Francisco have visited the couple at the Stanford Medical Center.

“The relatives back home might be worried about their condition so we just wanted to make sure that they get the correct information,” Jaimon Ascalon, deputy consul general, said.

Ascalon said they also went to Crown Plaza Hotel to check on the condition of Knaus and her sons. He said the Knaus family has left for Colorado, where they live.

Maria Lourdes Anino, Knaus’ sister-in-law from Cebu, said the family had to travel by car because the children were afraid to fly.

“They have so many injuries, bruises and worst was the trauma,” Anino said in Filipino.

Ruben and Belen, a retired couple from New Castle, California, do not want to live in fear. They visit the Philippines every two years and say they won’t hesitate to fly back there, even on another Asiana flight.

“Given time, we’ll be okay... as long as we are together,” Belen said.

The couple said Asiana has assured them that all their medical expenses would be paid for by the airline. For now, they are not thinking of taking legal action against Asiana. They just want to know the real reason behind the crash that has devastated so many lives. – With Helen Flores