Madrid - More than 140 people died Wednesday when a Spanair flight from Madrid-Barajas airport veered off the runway during takeoff, Spanish Transport Minister Magdalena Alvarez confirmed. Alvarez said that 26 of those on board survived the crash. That left 147 dead from the 164 passengers and nine crew members on board.
It was not revealed how badly injured the 26 survivors are.
According to rescue services, the Spanair type MD-82 aircraft never achieved flight, but simply went off the end of the runway, where it broke apart and burst into flames.
The flight with numbers JK 5022 and LH 2554 was to take off at 1 pm (1100 GMT) for Gran Canaria. According to a report from the daily El Pais, the first takeoff was broken off due to a technical problem. The crash occurred around 2.45 pm (1245 GMT) during the second attempt.
Following the incident, the airport was immediately closed to all traffic. Shortly thereafter takeoffs and landings resumed on a limited basis.
The company Spanair currently is facing financial difficulties, with Scandinavian parent company SAS reportedly trying to find a buyer for the ailing airline. Spanair was in the process of reducing staff by a third and shrinking its number of routes.
