Wed, August 20, 2008
MADRID, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A plane with some 160 people on board went off the runway as taking off at Madrid's Barajas airport Wednesday, killing at least 7 persons and injuring dozens of others, Spanish media reported.
Witnesses saw columns of smoke rising from the aircraft whose left engine was said to be on fire. And rescue workers were on the scene.
A spokesman for Madrid's emergency services confirmed that at least 7 people were killed and dozens of others hurt when a Spanish Spanair passenger jet crashed on takeoff at Madrid airport on Wednesday. He said the tolls could be more.
The plane with the fight number 5022 belongs to Spanish airline Spanair. It shot off the runway at Terminal Four as taking off for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
