Spain declares three days of mourning for the victims of the Madrid plane crash - jd 21.08.2008 08

Spain has declared three days of mourning following Wednesday's plane crash at Madrid airport. A hundred fifty three people died after the airliner skidded off the runway during take-off. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the plane to break up and burst into flame. The McDonnell-Douglas MD-82 jet was operated by the carrier Spanair and bound for the Canary Islands with more than 170 people on board. +++SYN-MAZ+++