151 dead in Madrid jet crash

Agencies

MADRID  - A Spanish tourist jet, which was carrying 175 passengers and bound for the Canary Islands, careered off runway, crashed, burnt and broke into pieces Wednesday while trying to take off from Madrid’s Barajas airport, killing 151 people on board, officials said.

There were only 24 survivors in the mid-afternoon crash, a Spanish emergency official said.

A police officer said the bodies were so hot that police could barely touch them and told El Pais newspaper the shattered wreckage bore no resemblance to a plane.

The authorities earlier issued a provisional toll saying there were at least 45 dead and 40 injured - making it one of the worst air disasters in Europe in recent years. A spokesman said 15 of those injured were in serious condition.

The airport cancelled departures after the crash and restricted the number of flights arriving. About 30 incoming flights were delayed by up to seven hours.

Spanish national radio said 146 people died and 26 people were injured in the disaster.