Madrid plane crash toll rises to 153, official says.
Story Highlights
Spanish plane with 172 people on board crashes at Madrid's Barajas Airport-
Crash happened as Spanair flight to Canary Islands was taking off from main runway-
Spanish prime minister visited the crash scene after cutting short his vacation -
.MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Wednesday afternoon's crash of a Spanair jet at Madrid's Barajas Airport killed 153 and injured 19 others, a government minister said, according to CNN+.
Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez released the toll eight hours after a Spanair jet carrying 172 people went down in flames on takeoff, the CNN sister station reported.
Twenty-two of the passengers were children, Spanair said. Two infants were among the 19 survivors and were being treated at a hospital, CNN+ reported.
Spanair Flight JK5022, bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, crashed upon takeoff from the main runway, apparently after an engine caught fire, local officials said.
The plane came to rest in a gully about 2:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. ET). Firefighters doused flames on the aircraft.A survivor told Spain's ABC newspaper that she and other passengers heard an explosion as the plane was taking off.
MD-82s have two engines, both of which are at the rear.
The plane was carrying 162 passengers, four non-working crew members and six working crew members, Spanair said. After contacting families, the airline published the names of those aboard on its Web site.
Some of the survivors have serious injuries and others injuries that are not life-threatening, Spanish Red Cross spokeswoman Olivia Acosa said. Many of the injured were treated for burns, she said. The crash sent up a plume of smoke visible from several kilometers away. At the time of the crash, weather conditions were hot and clear.
The aircraft was carrying seven passengers from Lufthansa Flight 2554. Spanair, a low-cost airline that has a flight-sharing agreement with Lufthansa, is owned by SAS Scandinavian Airlines.
Barajas Airport closed after the crash but reopened more than two hours later, allowing a limited number of takeoffs and landings, an airport official said.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero arrived at the airport Wednesday evening after cutting short a vacation.
"The government will do all it can to support the families in this difficult situation," he said. "The whole government, logically, is affected, very affected, as are all Spanish citizens, by this tragedy."
The fatal crash was the first at the airport since December 1983, when 93 people were killed as two Spanish airliners collided.
The airport, which sits eight miles (13 km) northeast of central Madrid, is Spain's busiest, handling more than 40 million passengers a year.
The United States National Transportation Safety Board is sending an investigation team to Madrid to aid the crash investigation because the aircraft is American-made, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said.
Spanair has set up a local emergency number for family members and friends phoning from Spain, +34 800-400-200.
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