The Age.com (Australia), "Death
toll hits 200 in Brazil TAM Airlines air crash"
About 200 people are
feared dead in Brazil's second major air disaster in
less than a year. Rescue crews have pulled 45 bodies
from the wreckage of the Airbus A320 that burst into
flames on Tuesday at Brazil's busiest airport. All 176
passengers and crew aboard the TAM airliner are believed
to have died, along with others on the ground, including
16 workers in a building owned by the airline.
The Brazilian airliner,
flying from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, lost control on landing at Sao Paulo's
Congonhas airport, which is known for slippery runways and has become a symbol
of the country's chaotic air transport system. The passenger jet skidded off
the rain-soaked landing strip and shot over a bustling avenue just below, slamming
into a fuel station and cargo terminal where people were working. "The plane
came spinning and passed over our heads at the level of the street lights," said
Luis Santos, who was in his car at the station at the time. "When it hit the
ground it exploded, sending pieces all around."
Dozens of ambulances
raced to the crash site, where the plane's tail stuck out of the cargo terminal
in flames as firefighters tried to put out the blaze, which spread to neighbouring
buildings and threatened houses. Government officials said that at least 11 people
were being treated for injuries at hospitals, where three died. The plane, flown
by Brazil's No. 1 airline, TAM Linhas Aereas, was carrying 170 passengers and
six crew when it rammed into the carrier's cargo building. Sao Paulo state Governor
Jose Serra said there was almost no chance of any survivors. Rescue crews have
recovered 45 bodies so far.
