Spanair Update

Updates

• Spain is holding three days of mourning; silent vigils; flags at half mast.


• Only 25 bodies have been identified. The others were burned beyond recognition. DNA id will have to be used.


• Of the 22 children on board, only three survived.


• The condition of four of the survivors was very serious, six were in bad condition and eight were being monitored.


• Alvarez said that the plane was 15 years old and had passed an annual inspection in the end of 2007. Spainair claims that the last inspection of the plane took place on January 24 2008,


• The flight recorder of the plane's black box has been recovered.


• The only passengers to survive were those who fell into a stream and avoided severe burns.


• On SER radio, survivor Ligia Palomino said "They supposedly fixed the problem which the pilot later said was with the air conditioning and then we took off. The plane was wobbling from one side to another. Then I began to suspect we would crash. I don't know what happened next. I was in a sort of river and saw people, smoke, explosions -- which I think woke me up."


• Spanish sailors Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz wore black armbands when receiving gold medals in the Olympic Games on Thursday, after officials turned down a request to allow the Spanish flag to fly at half-mast.


• A rescued child thought he was in a film. According to a rescue fireman the child said "When will this film end?Where is my Dad?" Is it real?" but he wanted the film to end.


• Spanair MD-82 1st attempt at takeoff abandoned because a gauge indicated overheating. On the 2nd attempt, an engine caught fire. Perhaps the gauge was correct?

Tragically, only 19 people of the 166 passengers and six crew aboard survived; the victim count of the Spanair crash has risen to 153, the flight that had been delayed by a problem with the heating system of the air intake. The airline listed 157 passengers and 10 unnamed crew.

Spanair Press Releases available here