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| Hunt for Brazil plane crash clues | Hunt for Brazil plane crash clues |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Brazilian officials are investigating what caused a plane to slide off the runway at a Sao Paulo airport and crash on landing, killing up to 200 people. | Brazilian officials are investigating what caused a plane to slide off the runway at a Sao Paulo airport and crash on landing, killing up to 200 people. |
| All 186 people aboard the Airbus 320 jet and a number on the ground died in the crash which happened in heavy rain. | All 186 people aboard the Airbus 320 jet and a number on the ground died in the crash which happened in heavy rain. |
| The runway, which has been criticised for being too short, had been recently resurfaced, but not yet properly grooved to help drain rain water. | The runway, which has been criticised for being too short, had been recently resurfaced, but not yet properly grooved to help drain rain water. |
| Over 160 bodies have been found in the burned plane, which crashed on Tuesday. | Over 160 bodies have been found in the burned plane, which crashed on Tuesday. |
| See where and how the crash unfolded | See where and how the crash unfolded |
| Marco Bolo, the chairman of Tam Airlines (Tam Linhas Aereas SA), confirmed on Wednesday that there were no survivors amongst the 186 passengers and crew on board the Tam flight from the southern city of Porto Alegre. | Marco Bolo, the chairman of Tam Airlines (Tam Linhas Aereas SA), confirmed on Wednesday that there were no survivors amongst the 186 passengers and crew on board the Tam flight from the southern city of Porto Alegre. |
| The plane accelerated when it reached the end of the runway and tried to take off again to avoid the road Witness Junior Matos Witnesses describe horror | The plane accelerated when it reached the end of the runway and tried to take off again to avoid the road Witness Junior Matos Witnesses describe horror |
| Mr Bolo said three workers in the Tam Airlines building had also been killed and five others were missing. | Mr Bolo said three workers in the Tam Airlines building had also been killed and five others were missing. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Runway ban | Runway ban |
| As the Airbus 320 jet touched down at Congonhas airport in a downpour it slid on the drenched runway, witnesses say. | As the Airbus 320 jet touched down at Congonhas airport in a downpour it slid on the drenched runway, witnesses say. |
| As the plane careered towards a busy road the pilot tried to take off again, but failed, sending the craft crashing into a fuel depot and cargo warehouse, where it burst into flames. | As the plane careered towards a busy road the pilot tried to take off again, but failed, sending the craft crashing into a fuel depot and cargo warehouse, where it burst into flames. |
| "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," witness Junior Matos told the 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," witness Junior Matos told the AFP news agency. |
| The plane passed over a busy road and ploughed into buildingsReports spoke of motorists being killed on the road and people jumping out of the windows of the low-rise Tam Airlines building as the plane struck. | The plane passed over a busy road and ploughed into buildingsReports spoke of motorists being killed on the road and people jumping out of the windows of the low-rise Tam Airlines building as the plane struck. |
| In February, amid fears that the airport was too close to residential areas and that its runways too short, a federal court briefly banned three types of large jet - the Fokker 100, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-700 - from using the airport. | In February, amid fears that the airport was too close to residential areas and that its runways too short, a federal court briefly banned three types of large jet - the Fokker 100, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-700 - from using the airport. |
| The decision was overturned, but the runway was ordered to be resurfaced. | The decision was overturned, but the runway was ordered to be resurfaced. |
| That happened in June, but Brazil's airport authority said work to groove the runway, to help clear rain water, was not scheduled to take place till 28 July, after the concrete had settled. | That happened in June, but Brazil's airport authority said work to groove the runway, to help clear rain water, was not scheduled to take place till 28 July, after the concrete had settled. |
| Other incidents | Other incidents |
| A day before Tuesday's accident, two other, smaller planes skidded off the airport's runway. | A day before Tuesday's accident, two other, smaller planes skidded off the airport's runway. |
| AIRBUS A320 Launched: 1988In operation: 1,700Operators include: British Airways; Air France; Air Canada; China Eastern Airlines; Iberia; United Airlines; Jet Blue Airways | AIRBUS A320 Launched: 1988In operation: 1,700Operators include: British Airways; Air France; Air Canada; China Eastern Airlines; Iberia; United Airlines; Jet Blue Airways |
| Opposition politicians have attacked the decision to use the runway before the grooving work was done. | Opposition politicians have attacked the decision to use the runway before the grooving work was done. |
| "Reopening a runway that was not ready is tantamount to murder," Onyx Lorenzoni, a congressman from a leading opposition party, told Reuters. | "Reopening a runway that was not ready is tantamount to murder," Onyx Lorenzoni, a congressman from a leading opposition party, told Reuters. |
| President Lula has now ordered an investigation into whether the runway was opened too early. | President Lula has now ordered an investigation into whether the runway was opened too early. |
| Previously, the worst accident in Brazil's aviation history occurred last September, when a Gol Boeing 737 flying from Manaus 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 crashed minutes after take off from Congonhas airport, bursting into flames and killing all 96 people on board and three on the ground. | In 1996, a Tam Airlines Fokker-100 crashed minutes after take off from Congonhas airport, bursting into flames and killing all 96 people on board and three on the ground. |
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