Americas News
Several dead in storm-related plane accident in Honduras
May 30, 2008, 18:54 GMT
A general view of the plane from TACA airlines coming from El Salvador which landed outside of the landing strip at the airport of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 30 May 2008, leaving an uncertain number of people injured and dead. EPA/GUSTAVO AMADOR
Tegucigalpa - An airliner operated by Salvadoran company TACA crashed Friday on a road near El Toncontin airport in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.
The head of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), Nicaraguan citizen Harry Brautigan, was reportedly among the dead.
Eyewitness reports said several people were killed as the aeroplane overshot the runway and crashed into four motor vehicles.
Several people reportedly suffered serious wounds in the accident.
Local radio reported that the aircraft - an Airbus A-320 carrying 124 passengers - missed the runway in bad weather caused by tropical storm Alma. The plane managed to land, but the pilots lost control of its speed and it crashed onto a nearby road.
The machine was arriving from Los Angeles, it stopped over in San Salvador and it had its final destination in Tegucigalpa.
Rescue teams were particularly concerned with the aircraft's fuel tanks, lest they explode.
Tegucigalpa airport is considered dangerous, since it is surrounded by mountains and has a short runway. In bad weather, it is relatively common for planes to be diverted to Salvadoran capital San Salvador or to San Pedro Sula, in Honduras.
© Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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