Madrid airplane crash, disaster at airport

Real bad news is just drifting in in the papers over HERE .

Thoughts are with all families.

Good God , .. I'm in Marbella right now and will be returning to Madrid on Friday . How Awful .

Ok , so i'm just watching the news coverage now ... They say that , at least , the injured have been moved quickly to hospitals around Madrid and that the roads are quiet due to the August holidays .
This may make Madrilenos think more seriously about donating blood . A huge shortage of blood reserves all over Spain .
I'm sure everyone on this board would be horrified at what's happened and your hearts would have to be with the friends and family of those killed . What horror they must be experiencing at this very minute .
I'm going to be returning to a very sombre city .

That is horrible!!!! Now they're saying that (at least) 100 persons have died and 26 persons injured. They've said the majority of the passengers were from the Canary Islands returning home. What a true, terrible shame. So sad.

Very sad news. Horrible.
This could have been any one of us.
I'll be watching the news closely on this.
Any video links available?

Thanks.

I'm watching now on TeleMadrid.

Thanks MM for all the links you provide.

Now it seems that (at least) 147 have died. Horrible tragedy.

That's right, Rudolfo. For those who'd like to follow the news they can watch what has been non-stop television coverage by TeleMadrid via TeleMadrid SAT live online via the Madrid Radio, TV, Music & Movies page .

it is also on sky news,
by all accounts it was taking off for the second time after encounting a problem in the left engine,they have recovered the black box and are examining all details before they can give a reason
even though the sun is shining it gives off a very eerie feeling and one of great sadness but the emergency teams are working very hard
good luck to all of them

I heard of it on the radio right after lunch. They were reporting 26 survivors and the other statistics reported by MM.

My heart aches when I think of the good people of Spain or anyone with such a tragedy. They are truly in my prayers.

Such a tragedy , my thoughts are with the families and friends of all those who have lost loved ones .

I understand 3 days of mourning have been declared. I'm curious as to what that actially is. Are banks closed or sporting events canceled?

Thanks

if three days of mourning had been declared in the UK .. things would come to a halt i'm sure . I walked into Puerto Banus and later on into Marbella and , quite frankly , it was business as usual . Quite shocking really . I didn't see ONE flag at half-mast !
This "3days of mourning" is cosmetic i'm sad to say . And whilst this message board wants to avoid politics i still want to say that most Spaniards are horrified at what happened .. truly ... but the government are lame as usual ...
On a "brighter"note , Spain should be so proud of it's emergency services ... Even the typically reserved BBC praised the Spanish on the way they've handled this .. superb men and women of SAMUR , policia , bomberos etc.... what haunting images they'll have to live with but how well and heroic they've dealt with this tragedy .
Steve .

I left Barajas yesterday (Thursday) with a heavy heart. Flying over the hallowed ground was difficult, getting on the plane less than 24 hours after this terrible tragedy was even harder. Barajas at 5am the next morning was business as usual, as I think people, especially travellers, just can't put those images (from the news) in their heads while taking off as well.
My heart goes out to the families, especially for the children lost!
I am home now, in San Diego, and am truly sad to have left my beloved Madrid.

I just got back to Madrid and was glad to see that Madrid is respecting the dead with ALL flags at half-mast .. even outside supermarkets .. I have to say that a huge wave of emotion swept over me as my train ( from Malaga ) came into Atocha railway station .
There will be a funeral service at Madrid's Almudena cathedral on September 1st .
On a brighter note , Laduque , COME BACK TO MADRID SOON !! I really loved meeting you again .. you've got a great and fun attitude on life and I like that a lot .
I'll just end this post with a "hooray" for Spain in 2 aspects . Spain's emergency services were exemplary in their handling of the Barajas disaster . I've had dealings with the police and ambulance/medical services here in Madrid and they've been fantastic always .
I travelled on the high-speed AVE from Malaga to Madrid this afternoon , travelling on average at 275 kph ( It goes upto 300 kph ). Journey time was 2 hrs and 40 minutes . My train left Malaga at 12:00 on the dot and arrived in Madrid at 14:40 to the second !! Espana should be incredibly proud of their railway service ... Everytime i've travelled on the AVE it's been perfectly timed .

I didn't see this thread until just today. Truly a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the families that lost their loved ones. It's quite nerve racking having to travel after hearing of such a crash. Laduque, glad to hear you made it home safely!

Thank you, my heart is heavy with this tragedy as i've stated before. Flying home this time was odd, not because I was scared to fly, but more because I was leaving Madrid when the city was mounring and departiing on those terms leaves an empty place in my heart.
Steve, I feel i've made new friends in madrid this time around and can't wait to visit with you and MM next time. Keep me posted on everything going on there!

p.s. Jetlag is still a problem, after 4 days, i'm up at 5;30am writing this.