Plane Crash in Madrid Kills 'Most' on Board
According to CNN, rescue workers have said that only 26 of the 172 on board have survived, though Spanish newspaper El Pais says that just 19 have survived. Associated Press is reporting that the others have been "been given up for dead".
The plane, a code share with Lufthansa, was on its way to the Canary Islands. Reports say that there were four Germans, two Swiss and a Chilean on board, the rest being Spanish.
Eyewitnesses say the plane had left the ground when an engine exploded, though experts have denied this. There has been no mention so far of any terrorist involvement.
El Pais is saying that 'an engine fire' is most likely to have caused the accident. The plane is believed to have aborted take-off earlier in the day and returned for maintenance before making its ill-fated second attempt.
If you fear that someone you know may be on this plane, you can call the emergency helpline on +34800400200, from inside Spain only or +34 971 916 050 from abroad.
Spanair has confirmed the flight numbers of the aircraft as AJK 5022 (for Spanair) and LH 2554 (for Lufthansa).
The plane crash is the worst in the world in the past year and the worst in Europe since a crash in the Ukraine in 2006, which killed 170.
The last 'incident' to take place at Madrid was in 1983, according to CNN. It is the first accident to involve Spanair.
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Dear Sir,
Its quite a sad news to hear. Am very sorry for what happened. Actually, i want to know if my Mentor is involved in the fatal plane crash. By name;Rev Father Jones Jonhson, presently serving the God in Netherland. His Parish is Holy Roman Catholic Church, Ellen E8, Amsterdam, netherland.Thanks.
Don’t worry, Anthony, there was no one with that name on board.
The plane was going from Madrid to the Canary Islands and most on board were Spanish.
Remember – thousands of planes take off every day in Europe and this was the first fatal crash in a number of years! You can sleep easy knowing that plane crash is safe, and gets safer every day.
Was there a Greenslade Tubbs on board that flight?? Thank you -
The list of passengers on that plane can be found here: http://www.spanair.com/web/es-es/DSite/Listado-de-pasajeros/
No one by that name was on board.
Today was a heroic landing on the Hudson River in US. Pilot of this plane is a real professional. In a matter of minutes he came to a right decision and did water landing flawlessly. Hoorey to the pilot! He is a real man!