Madrid air crash rises to 154
Up to 150 people are feared dead after a plane overshot the runway at Barajas airport in Madrid today, Spanish media reports say.
Only 25 of the 173 passengers and crew on board Spanair flight JK 5022 survived when it crashed after swerving off the runway at the airport's terminal four, Reuters reported.
The Spanish interior ministry said at least 45 people had so far been confirmed dead.
Another 19 were said to be in a critical condition, with 25 having suffered less severe injuries.
Medical workers told Spanish radio that more than 60 people were believed to have died in the accident.
Spanair, the country's second largest carrier, said the crash happened at 2.45pm local time (1.45pm BST).
The rear-engined MD82 aircraft was travelling to Las Palmas, in Gran Canaria, and two children were among those on board.
The flight had a code-sharing arrangement with the Lufthansa flight LH255, suggesting there may have been many Germans on board.
Spanish radio reported that Swedes and Danes were also believed to have been among the passengers.
Reports suggested that the incident happened after the plane attempted to take off for a second time.
Some observers said one of the engines on the left side caught fire as the aircraft accelerated, causing it to swerve off track.
A worker for the airport operator Aena, who saw the wreckage, said the plane had broken up.
"The plane is in pieces and it is full of bodies," he said, according to the El País website.
Manuel Moleno, a Spanish journalist who was near the area when the accident happened, told the BBC the aircraft had "crashed into pieces".
"We heard a big crash," he said. "So we stopped, and we saw a lot of smoke."
Hundreds of emergency workers and dozens of ambulances and firefigting vehicles were sent to the scene, along with heavy lifting equipment.
Helicopters and fire trucks dumped water on the plane, which ended up in a wooded area at the end of the terminal four runway. Thick columns of white smoke billowed from the site.
The airport has been closed, and passengers are being turned away.
Reporters at the scene said the terminal building had filled with people either looking for information about relatives on the flight or caught up in the travel disruption.
Unconfirmed reports said the flight had been due to take off at 1pm and had left the departure gate at 1.05pm, returning just over half an hour later because of technical problems.
A Spanair spokesman said it was too early to confirm the cause of the accident.
He said the company's thoughts were with those who had been injured and the relatives of those who had died.
"Spanair regrets to confirm that its flight number JK 5022, from Madrid to Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, was involved in an incident at Madrid today," the spokesman said.
"On board were 164 passengers and nine crew members. JK is a code share flight with Lufthansa LH 2554.
"Spanair is doing everything possible to assist the Spanish authorities at this difficult time, and has established a local helpline number for relatives or friends of those who may have been on board."
An official with the Madrid emergency rescue service said crews were removing the dead and injured from the wreckage. "It is certain catastrophe," he said.
The Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, broke off his holiday to return to Madrid.
Officials said a makeshift morgue was being set up at the city's main convention centre.
Terminal four at Barajas was designed by the British architect Richard Rogers and opened in 2006.
It serves many European and long-haul flights and is a stopover for thousands of passengers travelling within Spain and to South America.
Around 60 million passengers use the airport, which is around 10 miles north-east of central Madrid.
An emergency telephone number, +34 800 400 200, has been set up for relatives of people on the flight.
Spanish radio said it was being inundated by calls from people complaining that the number was permanently engaged.
Only 25 of the 173 passengers and crew on board Spanair flight JK 5022 survived when it crashed after swerving off the runway at the airport's terminal four, Reuters reported.
The Spanish interior ministry said at least 45 people had so far been confirmed dead.
Another 19 were said to be in a critical condition, with 25 having suffered less severe injuries.
Medical workers told Spanish radio that more than 60 people were believed to have died in the accident.
Spanair, the country's second largest carrier, said the crash happened at 2.45pm local time (1.45pm BST).
The rear-engined MD82 aircraft was travelling to Las Palmas, in Gran Canaria, and two children were among those on board.
The flight had a code-sharing arrangement with the Lufthansa flight LH255, suggesting there may have been many Germans on board.
Spanish radio reported that Swedes and Danes were also believed to have been among the passengers.
Reports suggested that the incident happened after the plane attempted to take off for a second time.
Some observers said one of the engines on the left side caught fire as the aircraft accelerated, causing it to swerve off track.
A worker for the airport operator Aena, who saw the wreckage, said the plane had broken up.
"The plane is in pieces and it is full of bodies," he said, according to the El País website.
Manuel Moleno, a Spanish journalist who was near the area when the accident happened, told the BBC the aircraft had "crashed into pieces".
"We heard a big crash," he said. "So we stopped, and we saw a lot of smoke."
Hundreds of emergency workers and dozens of ambulances and firefigting vehicles were sent to the scene, along with heavy lifting equipment.
Helicopters and fire trucks dumped water on the plane, which ended up in a wooded area at the end of the terminal four runway. Thick columns of white smoke billowed from the site.
The airport has been closed, and passengers are being turned away.
Reporters at the scene said the terminal building had filled with people either looking for information about relatives on the flight or caught up in the travel disruption.
Unconfirmed reports said the flight had been due to take off at 1pm and had left the departure gate at 1.05pm, returning just over half an hour later because of technical problems.
A Spanair spokesman said it was too early to confirm the cause of the accident.
He said the company's thoughts were with those who had been injured and the relatives of those who had died.
"Spanair regrets to confirm that its flight number JK 5022, from Madrid to Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, was involved in an incident at Madrid today," the spokesman said.
"On board were 164 passengers and nine crew members. JK is a code share flight with Lufthansa LH 2554.
"Spanair is doing everything possible to assist the Spanish authorities at this difficult time, and has established a local helpline number for relatives or friends of those who may have been on board."
An official with the Madrid emergency rescue service said crews were removing the dead and injured from the wreckage. "It is certain catastrophe," he said.
The Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, broke off his holiday to return to Madrid.
Officials said a makeshift morgue was being set up at the city's main convention centre.
Terminal four at Barajas was designed by the British architect Richard Rogers and opened in 2006.
It serves many European and long-haul flights and is a stopover for thousands of passengers travelling within Spain and to South America.
Around 60 million passengers use the airport, which is around 10 miles north-east of central Madrid.
An emergency telephone number, +34 800 400 200, has been set up for relatives of people on the flight.
Spanish radio said it was being inundated by calls from people complaining that the number was permanently engaged.
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