More than 140 people are feared dead after a passenger plane swerved off the runway at Madrid's Barajas airport. A spokesman for the Spanish emergency services, Herbigio Corral, said only 28 people survived the crash. The Spanair flight had just taken off for the Canary Islands at about 1420 local time with 172 people on board. It is thought the left engine caught fire. Helicopters were called in to dump water onto the plane. More than 70 ambulances were seen leaving the scene.
More than 140 people are feared dead after a passenger plane swerved off the runway at Madrid's Barajas airport.
A spokesman for the Spanish emergency services, Herbigio Corral, said only 28 people survived the crash.
The Spanair flight had just taken off for the Canary Islands at about 1420 local time with 172 people on board. It is thought the left engine caught fire.
Helicopters were called in to dump water onto the plane. More than 70 ambulances were seen leaving the scene.
But the stories of the couple who missed check-in by three minutes, or the woman whose children completely missed that flight are ways to salvage solace from the horror. keep to the Fen Causeway
The captain aborted a previous takeoff attempt due to "excessive heating of an engine air intake" and the decision was taken to take off after consulting with the maintenance ground staff.
Spanair was finalising a plan to get rid of the older planes in their fleet, including some MD82s, but it is unclear whether the crashed plane (15 years old, 9 with Spanair) was going to be retired.
There are two young children with relatively light injuries, and a third one seriously injured. Of the 20 survivors one died yesterday and four remain in "very serious" condition. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
