Sunday, May 25, 2008

Boeing splits in half after crash


A large cargo plane crashed at the end of a runway and split in two while trying to take off at Brussels airport. Four of the five crew members on board the Boeing 747 were said to be slightly injured and were hospitalized. "The plane is very seriously damaged" said Jan Van der Cruysse, spokesman at Brussels Airport. Fire brigade spokesman Francis Boileau said apart from its cargo of cars and equipment, the jet was full of fuel. "There was a danger of an explosion just after the accident because it was full of kerosene, about 100 tonnes of it, and there was a big leak when it broke" he said. The aircraft cracked in two after it crashed at the end of runway 220, which lies very close to a rail line and houses. Rail services to and from the airport were suspended as a safety precaution, however the crash did not affect other flights at the airport. The plane did not catch on fire when it crashed after attempting to take off on Sunday at 13:30 local time [11:30 GMT] [BBC / CNN]

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