A BOEING 737 jetliner with 131 passengers aboard crashed on landing and broke into three pieces at a Colombian island in the Caribbean early yesterday. The region's governor said it was a miracle that only one person died.

Colombian Air Force Colonel David Barrero said officials were investigating reports the plane had been hit by lightning before crashing at 1:49am local time while landing at San Andres Island, a resort island of 78,000 people about 190 kilometers east of Nicaragua.

San Andres Govenor Pedro Gallardo said 125 passengers and six crew members were aboard, but the only person killed was Amar Fernandez de Barreto, 68.

"It was a miracle and we have to give thanks to God," that only one person died, Gallardo said.

The Aires airline said in an e-mail that passengers aboard the plane that left Bogota about midnight included eight US citizens and four Brazilians. They were not identified.

Passengers said the pilot had announced an impendinglanding and all seemed normal as the plane descended through rain. But suddenly it hit short and then slid onto the runway on its belly as the fuselage fractured. It wound up on one end of the runway, crumpled and in pieces, as passengers scrambled or were helped to safety.

Ninety-nine passengers were taken to the Amor de Patria Hospital on San Andres, said the hospital director, Dr Robert Sanchez. He said only five suffered major injuries.

"It's incredible. For the dimension (of the accident), there should be more," he said. Sanchez said an initialexamination indicated that Fernandez de Barreto may have died of a heart attack.

Barrero, commander of the Caribbean Air Group, said by telephone from San Andres that "the skill of the pilot kept the plane from colliding with the airport."

He said the cause of the accident was uncertain. "You can't speculate. Lightning? A gust of wind? The investigation will say."

Barrero said part of the 2,380-meter runway was closed because parts of the plane were still scattered across it. But enough was usable that air ambulances would be able to land.

Police General Orlando Paez said a group of officers who had been waiting at the airport for the plane to take them back to the Colombian mainland aided in rescuing the victims.

• aboard [ə´bɔ:d] ad.&prep.在...上 (初中英语单词)
• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• governor [´gʌvənə] n.总督；州长 (初中英语单词)
• miracle [´mirəkl] n.奇迹；令人惊奇的 (初中英语单词)
• lightning [´laitniŋ] n.闪电 a.突然的 (初中英语单词)
• resort [ri´zɔ:t] vi.求助；乞灵；诉诸 (初中英语单词)
• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)
• normal [´nɔ:məl] a.正规的 n.正常状态 (初中英语单词)
• director [di´rektə] n.指导者；....长；导演 (初中英语单词)
• examination [ig,zæmi´neiʃən] n.检查；考试；检验 (初中英语单词)
• commander [kə´mɑ:ndə] n.指挥员，司令员 (初中英语单词)
• uncertain [ʌn´sə:tn] a.不定的；不可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• investigation [in,vesti´geiʃən] n.调查(研究) (初中英语单词)
• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
• colonel [´kə:nəl] n.海(陆)军上校 (高中英语单词)
• incredible [in´kredəbəl] a.不能相信的；惊人的 (高中英语单词)
• dimension [di´menʃən] n.尺寸；面积；体积 (高中英语单词)
• initial [i´niʃəl] a.最初的 n.首字母 (高中英语单词)
• nicaragua [,nikə´rægjuə] n.尼加拉瓜 (英语四级单词)
• mainland [´meinlənd] n.大陆；本土 (英语四级单词)
• landing [´lændiŋ] n.登陆；降落；楼梯平台 (英语六级单词)
• impending [im´pendiŋ] a.即将发生的 (英语六级单词)
• speculate [´spekjuleit] vi.思索；推测；投机 (英语六级单词)