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| The KLM plane was
carrying 249 people |
| 1977: Runway collision kills 560 |
England have
At least 560 people died when two jumbo jets collided on a runway in
what is thought to be the world's worst disaster involving aircraft on the
ground.
A massive explosion followed by a ball of fire erupted at Los Rodeos
airport, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, in dense fog as both airliners
were taxiing for take-off at 1800 local time.
The sound of the explosion was heard across the island.
Early reports suggest a Boeing 747, belonging to Dutch national airline
KLM, and a Pan American 747 travelling from Los Angeles to Las Palmas were
involved in the accident.
No-one survived from the Dutch airliner which was carrying 249
passengers including crew, and was travelling from Schipol airport,
Amsterdam.
The Pan-Am plane was a charter flight carrying 16 crew and 378
passengers and there were said to be about 60 survivors, the majority of
whom were injured.
Rescue efforts
Eyewitnesses said the airport is now covered in dense black smoke
following the explosions and emergency services are struggling to cope
with the enormous numbers of casualties.
Rescue workers have been plunging into the burning wreckage to pull out
survivors.
The army is expected to move in to help the rescue operation.
Neither airline was originally due to be at the airport but both were
diverted from the much bigger Las Palmas on nearby Gran Canaria island
after a terrorist bomb blast near the departure lounge.
Experts say it is too early to suggest the cause of the crash but many
believe it was in part due to the extra number of flights and pressure on
resources at the small airport following several diversions from Las
Palmas.
It will once again place security at Spanish airports under the
spotlight, hard pressed by package tour flights.
A crash of such magnitude before take-off has horrified industry
insiders.
Previously the worst accident in aviation history was a Turkish
airlines crash near Paris with the loss of 346 lives.
