Plane Breaks in 3, but Only 1 Dies

130 survive jet's total destruction in 'miracle' crash
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 16, 2010 11:43 AM CDT
Plane Breaks in 3, but Only 1 Dies
A police officer stands by a crashed plane sitting on the runaway at the airport on San Andres island in Colombia, Monday Aug. 16, 2010.   (AP Photo/Periodico El Isleno, Richard Garcia)

A plane with 131 passengers aboard broke into three pieces as it prepared to land on a Colombian island in the Caribbean this morning, killing just one passenger in what local officials are calling a miracle, the AP reports. The plane, which was carrying 8 US citizens, skewed off course just before landing and broke apart as it hit the runway, crumpling into a heap.

"It was a miracle and we have to give thanks to God," that there weren't more fatalities, said the governor of San Andres Island. Though 99 passengers were taken from the crash site to a local hospital, only 4 suffered major injuries. "It's incredible. For the dimension of the accident, there should be more," the hospital director said.
(More Colombia stories.)

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