Only one dies in Colombia airliner crash “miracle”

BOGOTA, (Reuters) – A Colombian airliner carrying  132 people crashed and broke into pieces while landing on the  Caribbean resort island San Andres yesterday during a storm,  but only one person died in what police called “a miracle.”

Authorities said 114 passengers were hurt in the predawn  crash of the Boeing 737-700 passenger jet operated by local  airline Aires, adding that the lone death was due to a heart  attack and not injuries from the accident.

A Colombian aviation official said the pilot reported that  the plane had been struck by lightning. Witnesses said it was  fortunate more people were not killed considering the plane’s  fuselage cracked into three parts on impact.

“It’s a miracle,” National Police General Orlando Paez  said. “The skill of the pilot kept the plane from sliding off  the runway. The engines of the aircraft shut down on impact.”

The jet was carrying 126 passengers, including four  children, and six crew members, an aeronautics official told  Reuters. The flight from the Colombian capital Bogota to San  Andres crashed on landing amid lightning and strong winds.

The injured were taken to local hospitals. Many were later  transported to Bogota for further care.

A woman passenger identified as Amar Fernandez de Barreto  suffered a heart attack just after the accident and died on her  way to a local clinic.

“The pilot of the plane told us it was struck by lighting.  We are inspecting the wreckage to try to establish what the  damages were and what caused the accident,” said Donald Tascon,  deputy director of Colombia’s aeronautics authority.

“We were fine until they announced that we were about to  land,” said passenger Heriberto Rua, who was on his way to San  Andres for a vacation with his wife and five daughters.

“Then I felt an impact. My seat was knocked loose but I was  able to unbuckle myself and get two of my daughters out.”

Colombian Transportation Minister German Cardona told  reporters that the plane had been inspected eight days earlier  and found to be in good mechanical condition.

“It was a new plane, recently acquired by Aires,” he said.

Boeing issued a statement saying it was sending a team to  San Andres, at the invitation of Colombian authorities, to  inspect the wreckage and help establish the cause of the  crash.