| Topic: |
Science > Prophecies-Of-Nostradamus |
| User: |
"=?utf-8?B?4pi7SE9PUk9PIOKXmQ==?=" |
| Date: |
17 Jul 2007 10:11:35 PM |
| Object: |
*** JUST OFF THE NEWZWIREZ, PEOPLEZ -- Up to 200 feared dead in Brazil crash *** Updated 2:35PM Wednesday July 18, 2007 |
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10452219
Also http://www.cnn.com/
Up to 200 feared dead in Brazil crash
Updated 2:35PM Wednesday July 18, 2007
By Mario Andrada
SAO PAULO - A Brazilian airliner has crashed and burst into flames at
Brazil's busiest airport, killing as many as 200 people in the
country's second major air disaster in less than a year.
Rescue crews said none of the 176 people on board the Airbus A320 were
likely to have survived, according to Sao Paulo state Governor Jose
Serra. Brazilian news agency Folha quoted the leader of a rescue crew
as saying there could be 200 people dead, including casualties on the
ground.
The plane, flying from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, lost control
on landing in Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport. It skidded off the rain-
soaked runway and flew over a bustling avenue just below, slamming
into a gas station and cargo terminal where people were working.
"The plane came spinning and passed over our heads at the level of the
street lights. We could hear the engine noise getting louder and the
plane growing in front of us. When it hit the ground it exploded
sending pieces all around," said Luis Santos, who was in his car at
the station at the time.
Dozens of ambulances raced to the crash site and television images
showed the plane's tail sticking out from the cargo terminal in flames
as firefighters tried to put out the blaze, which spread to a
neighbouring building.
Government officials said the body of one man was removed from the
site. Globo News TV said two other bodies had also been recovered. Two
local hospitals said they were treating at least seven people for
injuries.
The plane, operated by Brazil's No. 1 airline TAM Linhas Aereas, was
carrying 170 passengers and six crew. At least one of the passengers
was a prominent congressman, an aide told Reuters.
In September, 154 people were killed when a Brazilian Boeing 737
collided with a small executive jet and crashed in the Amazon jungle
in what was the worst air accident in the country's history.
Congonhas airport, located in the heart of South America's largest
city, has had runway problems for years and recently repaved one of
its landing strips.
Earlier this year, officials tried to ban wide-bodied jets from the
airport because of fears they could skid off its short landing strips.
Air travel in Brazil has repeatedly been disrupted since the September
crash unveiled a series of problems, including insufficient
infrastructure and overburdened, underpaid staff.
Last month, two passenger planes clipped wings while taxiing at
Congonhas, increasing concerns about safety.
- REUTERS
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