Madrid: A Spanish airliner bound for the Canary Islands swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff from the Madrid airport on Wednesday, reportedly killing at least 146 people.
A Spanish emergency rescue official says there are only 26 survivors — who are seriously injured — after an airliner with 173 people aboard crashed on takeoff from Madrid's airport.
The official with the SAMUR municipal rescue service gave the toll after touring the site of Wednesday's crash.
Spanair flight JK5022 was bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, a popular vacation spot off West Africa, the company said.
Thick, white smoke rose above Barajas airport as helicopters and fire trucks dumped water on the plane, which ended up in a wooded area at the end of the runway at Terminal four.
An official with the Madrid emergency rescue service SAMUR said crews were removing injured people and bodies from the MD-80, calling it a "catastrophe."
The official said the rest of the people on the plane have been given up for dead. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department rules that barred him from giving his name.
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