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| Brazil jet disaster probe begins | Brazil jet disaster probe begins |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Rescue workers and crash investigators are searching the wreckage of a Brazilian passenger jet that crashed in flames at Sao Paulo's main airport. | Rescue workers and crash investigators are searching the wreckage of a Brazilian passenger jet that crashed in flames at Sao Paulo's main airport. |
| All 186 people on board the Airbus 320 are believed dead, as well as many as 15 people on the ground. | |
| Tam Airlines Flight 3054 from the southern city of Porto Alegre landed at Congonhas airport in driving rain. | Tam Airlines Flight 3054 from the southern city of Porto Alegre landed at Congonhas airport in driving rain. |
| The plane skidded across a crowded road before it crashed into a fuel depot and warehouse and exploded. | The plane skidded across a crowded road before it crashed into a fuel depot and warehouse and exploded. |
| See where and how the crash unfolded | See where and how the crash unfolded |
| Reports spoke of motorists being killed on the road and people jumping out of the windows of the low-rise Tam Airlines building. | Reports spoke of motorists being killed on the road and people jumping out of the windows of the low-rise Tam Airlines building. |
| "The plane accelerated when it reached the end of the runway and tried to take off again to avoid the road, but it crashed into the building and exploded," eyewitness Junior Matos told AFP news agency. | "The plane accelerated when it reached the end of the runway and tried to take off again to avoid the road, but it crashed into the building and exploded," eyewitness Junior Matos told AFP news agency. |
| Congonhas airport is very close to the city centre | Congonhas airport is very close to the city centre |
| President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has declared three days of national mourning for the victims of what is thought to be Brazil's worst air disaster. | President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has declared three days of national mourning for the victims of what is thought to be Brazil's worst air disaster. |
| Sao Paulo State Governor Jose Serra said none of the 186 people on board the Tam Airlines flight could have survived the crash, with temperatures in the fire reaching 1,000C. | |
| The state's attorney general, Rodrigo Pinho, said the authorities would carry out a thorough investigation "to determine the cause and to identify who was responsible". | The state's attorney general, Rodrigo Pinho, said the authorities would carry out a thorough investigation "to determine the cause and to identify who was responsible". |
| A Brazilian opposition congressman, Julio Redecker, is reported to have been among those on the flight. | A Brazilian opposition congressman, Julio Redecker, is reported to have been among those on the flight. |
| Runway ban | Runway ban |
| Congonhas airport is notorious for its short and often slippery runway, and its proximity to the city centre. | Congonhas airport is notorious for its short and often slippery runway, and its proximity to the city centre. |
| AIRBUS A320 Launched: 1998In operation: 1,700Operators include: TAM - Brazil; Nouvelair - Tunisia; Air Cairo - Egypt; Wizz Air - Hungary | AIRBUS A320 Launched: 1998In operation: 1,700Operators include: TAM - Brazil; Nouvelair - Tunisia; Air Cairo - Egypt; Wizz Air - Hungary |
| In February, a local judge banned the use of the airport by Fokker 100, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-700 jets, but this was overturned by an appeals court. | In February, a local judge banned the use of the airport by Fokker 100, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-700 jets, but this was overturned by an appeals court. |
| Remedial work, including laying a new surface, has been carried out in recent months. | Remedial work, including laying a new surface, has been carried out in recent months. |
| However, questions remain about whether the runway had been sufficiently grooved to drain water in heavy rains. | However, questions remain about whether the runway had been sufficiently grooved to drain water in heavy rains. |
| A day before Tuesday's accident, another plane skidded off the airport's runway. | A day before Tuesday's accident, another plane skidded off the airport's runway. |
| Previously, the worst accident in Brazil's aviation history occurred last September, when a Gol Boeing 737 flying from Manaos to Brasilia crashed into the Amazon jungle, killing all 154 people on board after a mid-air collision with a small private jet. | Previously, the worst accident in Brazil's aviation history occurred last September, when a Gol Boeing 737 flying from Manaos to Brasilia crashed into the Amazon jungle, killing all 154 people on board after a mid-air collision with a small private jet. |
| In 1996, a Tam Airlines Fokker-100 skidded off the runway at Congonhas airport before bursting into flames, killing all 96 people on board and three on the ground. | In 1996, a Tam Airlines Fokker-100 skidded off the runway at Congonhas airport before bursting into flames, killing all 96 people on board and three on the ground. |
| Click here to return | Click here to return |
| Are you near the scene? Is there a safety issue with inner city airports? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: | Are you near the scene? Is there a safety issue with inner city airports? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: |
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| Click here for terms and conditions on sending photos and video | Click here for terms and conditions on sending photos and video |