MADRID, Aug 20: At least 45 people were killed when a Spanair jet crashed on takeoff and burst into flames at Madrid airport on Wednesday, the government said, but an emergency services source reported about 150 deaths.

A large cloud of smoke billowed up near Terminal Four from the remains of Flight JK5022, an MD-82 jet bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. It shot off the runway carrying 164 passengers and nine crew at 2:45pm local time (1245 GMT), according to Spanair.

The government said 45 people were confirmed killed, 19 seriously hurt and 35 were unhurt.

But a source at the emergency services said the death toll was nearer 150. Newspaper El Pais quoted a government official on its website saying at least 100 people had been killed.

“They are pulling out burnt corpses. The plane has been completely destroyed,” said the emergency services source.

The health service of the Madrid regional government said 26 injured had been taken to hospital, although it was unable to provide a death toll.

“The (plane’s) tail has broken off from the rest of the fuselage. It’s difficult to describe the scene, because it’s just a mess of metal,” an emergency services spokesmen told national radio.

The flight was a code-sharing operation with Lufthansa serving the Canary Islands, a popular holiday destination for tourists from throughout Europe.

Thick columns of smoke rose into the air and police had blocked off both ends of the Terminal Four runway, where more than 20 ambulances and many fire engines were parked, a Reuters witness said.

Police escorted tearful relatives of passengers past reporters and dozens of workers identified as psychologists and social workers arrived at the terminal.

Dozens of shocked relatives began arriving at Las Palmas airport on the island of Gran Canaria, where they were taken into a room and offered counselling by Red Cross psychiatrists.

There was no immediate official comment on the cause of the accident but the newspaper El Mundo quoted a source on its website as saying the plane’s left engine had caught fire.

Just hours before the crash, Spanair’s pilots threatened to strike. SAS has been trying to sell Spanair since last year.—Reuters