National
Three days of official mourning after the Madrid air disaster
By h.b.
Aug 22, 2008 - 12:37 AM

Deputy Prime Minister, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, speaking at a press conference on Thursday, said that there were photos taken at the aircraft crash site, and that these were now in the hands of the investigators into the tragedy which cost 153 lives at Barajas Airport in Madrid.

She promised an exhaustive investigation into the tragedy and announced the creation of an office to attend to the victims.
Three days of official mourning has been declared from today, Friday, during which time the Ministries for the Interior and Development would be carrying out procedures to support the families and to help in the transfer of the bodies of the victims to their homes.

She said that the investigation of the 153 bodies was continuing, and that it had been established they were of 11 different nationalities. Most of the victims were Spanish, but 19 came from Bulgaria, Sweden, Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, Mauritania, Turkey, Gambia and Indonesia.

She called for prudence regarding the cause of the accident.