Bodies scattered over crash site
2008-08-20 23:39
Madrid - A Spanish jet heading for the
Canary Islands crashed on takeoff and burst into flames at
Madrid airport on Wednesday, killing 153 of the people on board,
the government said.
Smoke billowed up near Terminal Four from the remains of
Spanair's Flight JK5022, an MD-82 jet bound for Las Palmas in
the Canary Islands, which broke into pieces in an accident which
Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said left 19 survivors.
The 15-year-old plane, with 166 passengers and nine crew,
shot off the runway at 14:45 (12:45 GMT),
according to Spanair.
The airline put the number of people
aboard at a slightly higher figure than government officials.
Witnesses described a huge explosion.
Scattered bodies
"Only the tail was recognisable, there was wreckage
scattered all over the place and dead bodies across a wide area.
A lot of them were children," Ervigio Corral, who headed the
emergency services' rescue effort, told reporters.
Survivors were flung from the plane by the force of the
impact and landed in a stream, saving them from more severe
burns, Corral said.
Alvarez said the cause of the accident seemed to be "an
error in take-off". But Spanish media and a source close to the
situation said the plane's left engine had caught fire.
The plane was originally due to take off at 13:00, but
after moving away from the terminal and approaching the runway
it returned because of a mechanical problem, a source close to
the situation told Reuters.
The source added he did not know
what the problem was or what action mechanics took.
Columns of smoke
Thick columns of smoke rose into the air and police blocked
off both ends of the Terminal Four runway, where more than 20
ambulances and many fire engines were stationed.
"I saw how the plane broke in two and a huge explosion,"
said Manuel Muela, who was driving past the airport when the
crash occurred, according to the newspaper El Mundo.
Police escorted tearful relatives of passengers past
reporters and dozens of psychologists and social workers arrived
at the terminal. Charred corpses were taken to a nearby
conference centre to be identified.
"It's a rollercoaster of emotions," said a relative of one
survivor, who told La Ser radio his name was Ricardo.
"Also you
feel powerless because the airline doesn't provide any
information at all."