At least 45 killed as plane skids off runway in Madrid

PARIS: At least 45 people died Wednesday and 44 were injured when a
Spanair flight en route for the Canary Islands of Spain swerved off the
end of a runway at the Madrid airport.

"There were 178 passengers on board including the crew," Valentine
Narro, a government official in Madrid, said. "There are 45 dead and 44
injured."

He could not confirm whether the aircraft had caught on fire after
television footage showed clouds of white smoke billowing over the
runway.

Olivia Acosta, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross on the scene at Barajas
airport, said 22 ambulances had rushed to the scene, and a makeshift
hospital had been set up.

"There are teams of psychosocial workers to help the victims in a
difficult moment," she said, adding that the accident had happened
during take-off.

The Scandinavian airline SAS, which owns Spanair, a struggling low-cost
carrier, confirmed that an incident had taken place at Madrid airport
involving Spanair flight JK5022 from Madrid to Las Palmas in the Canary
Islands.

It said that it was doing "everything possible to help passengers and
next-of-kin and to assist Spanish authorities at this difficult time."

The plane was an MD-80.

i stay on the ground. rather drive. didnt even get off the ground and lost they lives