Asiana offers $10,000 to each survivor  

韩亚航空提议向失事客机乘客先付1万美元预付款

(ECNS) -- Asiana Airlines said on Sunday it is offering an initial compensation of $10,000 to each surviving passenger on board the plane that crashed in San Francisco last month.

The Korean airline recently started offering the cash to help the 288 surviving passengers meet urgent medical expenses and other needs before final compensation is decided, according to an official from Asiana Airlines.

"This is a minimum payment we are offering for each passenger, regardless of whether they were injured or not," the official said, adding that "the amount will be deducted from the total compensation once it is decided."

Those who were relatively unharmed and whose ultimate compensation come to less than $10,000 can keep the whole amount, the official added.

The latest offer is not a settlement and will not affect ongoing or future lawsuits filed by passengers, the official added.

The second-largest air carrier in ROK is faced with a horde of legal battles after the July 6 crash, which left three dead and about 180 injured.

Along with 16 crew members, the aircraft was carrying 291 passengers - many of them Chinese --and more than 120 of them escaped unharmed. The cause of the crash is under investigation by US aviation authorities.

Asiana Airlines also said that in August, the company started negotiations with some passengers about compensation.