aircraft & fire & rescue firegeezer on 20 Aug 2008 11:24 am
Plane Crashes, Burns in Madrid
Update: Death toll currently reported at 45 150 153.
A SPANAIR PLANE CRASHED WHILE TAKING OFF on the main runway at the Madrid, Spain, airport at 2:45 pm local time (8:45 am Eastern).
Smoke rises from the scene where a Spanair plane
crashed after skidding off the runway at the
Barajas Airport in Madrid. (Reuters/Hanna photo)
The aircraft was an MD-80 and had about 166 174 people on board (164 passengers, 10 crew). There are both survivors and casualties, but exact numbers are not yet known.
Early reports say that the plane was not yet airborne and had swerved off of the runway, possibly after a violent engine mishap, and skidded down a slope into a vegetated area. There are several early accounts about what happened, but most of them seem to agree that there was an initial problem with an engine.
Spanair is one of three private air carriers operating out of Spain and is a subsidiary of SAS Scandinavian Airlines. The flight was en route to the Canary Islands.
BBC News has an early video of fire and rescue units responding onto the scene HERE.
The Red Cross has set up a field hospital to treat the injured on-scene. Spanish media report that at least 11 fire engines were sent to control the blaze. A forestry helicopter was making water drops on grass fires ignited by the crash.
The AP has this video report:
