Brazilian plane crash ‘kills 250’

Brazilian plane crash ‘kills 250’
# 18 July 2007 08:32 (UTC +04:00)
Rescue crews said none of the 176 people on board the Airbus A320 could have survived, while more people were killed on the ground.
The TAM airliner skidded off the runway as it landed in wet weather, shot over a busy road and hit a fuel depot.
Concerns had been raised about the safety of the runway during heavy rain.
There had been persistent, heavy downpours in the two hours before the accident.
TAM Express flight 3054 was carrying 170 passengers and six crew when it attempted to land at Congonhas airport, which is mainly used for regional flights from other parts of Brazil and South America.
The plane was travelling to Sao Paulo, Brazil’s financial capital, from Porto Alegre in the south of the country.
After touching down on the main runway at 1850 (2150 GMT), the passenger jet skidded before sliding across a busy road in a residential area.
It then struck a depot used by TAM for storing cargo and some fuel.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared three days of national morning for the victims. /APA/
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