A plane crash in Spain has claimed the lives of 153 people.
The country's transport minister told reporters that just 19 people survived the crash, which occurred as the passenger jet was attempting to take off from Madrid's Barajas airport. Witnesses said the plane swerved off the runway before bursting into flames. Spain's national airport authority said the MD-82, operated by Spanair, was bound for the popular holiday destination of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. The flight was a code-sharing operation with the German flag carrier Lufthansa and there have been reports that German, Swedish and Dutch nationals may have been among those on board. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been among several world leaders in expressing her sorrow about the crash. A government spokesman in Berlin said that the chancellor was horrified by the number of dead and wounded.
(Deutsche Welle)
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