Spanair plane (Archive photo)
צילום: AP
At least 153 killed in Madrid airport plane crash
15-year-old plane, carrying 166 passengers and nine crewmembers en route to Canary Islands, shoots off runway. Witnesses described a huge explosion: 'Only the tail was recognizable, there was wreckage scattered all over the place and dead bodies across a wide area. A lot of them were children'
At least 153 people were killed when a Spanish jet taking holidaymakers to the Canary Islands crashed on takeoff and burst into flames at Madrid airport on Wednesday, an emergency services spokesman 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.
The 15-year-old plane, carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, shot off the runway at 2:45 pm local time (1245 GMT), according to Spanair, and
"Only the tail was recognizable, there was wreckage scattered all over the place and dead bodies across a wide area. A lot of them were children," Herbigio Corral, who headed the rescue effort, told reporters.
Plane takes off above crash site (Photo: AP)
A senior member of the regional government said only 20 people had been transferred to hospitals, which raised the possible death toll towards the 151 cited by state radio.
Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said the cause of the accident seemed to be "an error in takeoff". But Spanish media and a source close to the situation said the plane's left engine, made by Pratt & Whitney, had caught fire.
The plane was originally due to take off at 1 pm, But after pushing back 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.
The flight was a code-sharing operation with Lufthansa serving the Canary Islands, a popular holiday destination for tourists from throughout Europe.
Lufthansa said seven passengers with Lufthansa tickets, four of them from Germany, had checked in for the flight, and a Canary Islands official said passengers included Swedes and Dutch.
Struggling with high fuel prices
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.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero interrupted his holidays and the Spanish Olympic Committee said the Spanish flag would fly at half mast in the Olympic village in Beijing. Spain's national soccer team wore black armbands and stood for a minute's silence at a friendly match with Denmark.
If the death toll is confirmed at 151, the crash would be Spain's worst since 1983, when an Avianca Boeing 747 crashed approaching the same airport, killing 181.
Spanair, owned by Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), has been struggling with high fuel prices and tough competition. It announced it was laying off 1,062 staff and cutting routes after losing $81 million in the first half of the year.
Hours before the crash, Spanair's pilots threatened to strike. SAS has been trying to sell Spanair since last year.
The MD-82 is a medium-range single-aisle plane, popular with regional airlines. It is a member of the MD-80 family of planes made by US Manufacturer Boeing Co.
American Airlines had to cancel 3,000 flights earlier this year after US authorities ordered them to ground MD-80 series planes to check their wiring.
Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas in 1997, and the last of the MD-80 family rolled off its production line in 1999.
