Asiana Airlines crewmembers were hailed for their heroic acts that helped save hundreds of passengers when their flight crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday.

Eugene Anthony Rah, who was aboard the Boeing 777 Asiana Flight 214, said he witnessed a flight attendant carrying injured passengers off the plane moments after the crash.

“She was a hero. This tiny little girl was carrying people piggyback, running everywhere, with tears running down her face,” Rah told the U.S. media. “She was crying, but she was still so calm and helping people.”

He identified her as Kim Ji-yeon.

San Francisco fire chief Joanne Hayes-White also said a cabin manager was “so composed I thought she had come from the terminal.” The manager made sure everyone got off and she was the last one to leave the plane, according to Hayes-White.

She was later identified as Lee Yun-hye.

Several passengers assisted rescue efforts including Benjamin Levy, who calmed others and helped them slide down the inflatable emergency chutes.

Most of the 307 on board were guided to safety from the crash, which claimed the lives of two teenagers and left more than 180 injured.

Minutes after everyone had left the aircraft, it burst into flames.

The exact cause of the crash is yet to be identified. A team of Korean officials were sent to the U.S. for a joint investigation with U.S. authorities.

Park Jung-gwon, chief of the Korean inquiry team, said it may take more than a year to determine the cause of the accident.

By Yoon Min-sik and news reports
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)