22 August 2008

Crash plane had previous technical problems

The aircraft that crashed in Madrid recently had two of its flights cancelled because of technical problems, according to reports in Spain.

The Spanair flight to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands broke apart and burst into flames at take off on Wednesday, killing at least 153 people. Investigators are scouring the debris and examining the black box flight recorder for clues to explain the cause of the crash.

The flight co-ordinator at Barajas airport, where the accident happened, has apparently told a Spanish newspaper that unspecified problems had kept the aircraft grounded on two previous occasions.

It has been confirmed that 19 people Ã¢â¬' including four Germans, two Swedes, a Chilean and a Colombian - survived the accident. However, some are thought to be in a critical condition with horrific injuries.

Most of the victims of the crash are thought to have been Spanish and German holidaymakers. There were 20 children and two babies onboard. The British Embassy in Madrid has sent staff to the airport to try to establish if any Britons were on board.

The crash was the deadliest in Spain since 1983, when a Boeing 747 crashed in Madrid, killing 181 people. In March 2004, 191 were killed by terrorist bombs on four commuter trains.