A TEENAGE girl who survived the crash of a passenger jet in San Francisco died after she was run over by two rescue vehicles in the chaotic aftermath, according to federal investigators.

Authorities in California revealed months ago 16-year-old Chinese student Ye Meng Yuan was alive on the runway and covered in firefighting foam when she was hit by an emergency vehicle and suffered the multiple blunt injuries that killed her.

But documents released at a National Transportation Safety Board hearing in Washington reveal the motionless girl was struck twice, once by a fire engine spraying foam and again 11 minutes later by a second engine that was being turned around to fetch more water.

Two other teenage girls from China died when the Asiana Airlines plane came down on July 6 last year and more than 200 people were injured.

Rescuers said they believed the teenager was already dead. Deputy fire chief Dale Carnes expressed regret for "the additional insult to the deceased" and added: "We were dealing with a very complex environment."