Culture

Asiana Crash Victims Says Airline's Been "No Help"

Put one family up in a hotel but tried to stop them from talking to media

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More than a week after the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash, the Xu family from China is still recovering some 6,000 miles from home.

The crash left their four-year-old son with a badly broken leg and Xu Wen Jung's sister has a broken foot. As flames erupted, her sister was trapped in the wreckage by a jammed seat belt.

"My sister told my brother-in-law that you can go first. We have a daughter to take care of," said Xu. "My brother-in-law said, 'I will stay with you if you die.'"

A firefighter cut away the seatbelt to save her. Now the entire family is part of a group of 83 passengers preparing to sue Boeing. They are planning a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, focusing on possible mechanical problems with the engine controls, emergency slides and seat belts.

The family was completely dependent on Asiana Airlines in the days following the accident. They had no money, no clothes and no identification papers.

"We didn't get any help except the 400 (dollars) emergency fee from their side," said Xu.