MORE THAN 100 BODIES HAD BEEN RECOVERED BY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND A FURTHER 100 WERE PRESUMED DEAD IN A PLANE CRASH IN THE BRAZILIAN METROPOLIS OF SAO PAULO, THE TELEVISION STATION REDE GLOBO REPORTED, ACCORDING TO DPA. RESCUE TEAMS SAID THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO HOPE OF FINDING SURVIVORS ON THE BRAZILIAN TAM AIRLINER. FIRE BRIGADES HAVE ESTIMATED THAT THE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES IS LIKELY TO BE AROUND 200. THE FULLY-OCCUPIED AIRBUS A320 SKIDDED OFF A WET RUNWAY, CROSSED A BUSY HIGHWAY AND RAMMED A PETROL STATION AND ANOTHER BUILDING, SETTING OFF A HUGE BLAZE TUESDAY NIGHT AT CONGONHAS AIRPORT. THE FIRE TOOK AROUND SEVEN HOURS TO BE BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL. TAM SAID WEDNESDAY THAT THE PLANE, WHICH HAD TAKEN OFF FROM PORTO ALEGRE, WAS CARRYING 186 PASSENGERS, UP FROM A PREVIOUS ESTIMATE OF 180. FOURTEEN PEOPLE WERE RESCUED FROM THE BLAZE ALIVE, THOUGH THREE OF THEM DIED ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL. ALL SURVIVORS WERE WORKING AT THE TAM EXPRESS PETROL STATION OR WERE PASSERS-BY, NOT OCCUPANTS OF THE PLANE. BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA ORDERED A POLICE INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE RUNWAY WAS FIT TO BE USED. THE MAIN RUNWAY AT CONGONHAS WAS PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED "DANGEROUS" BY PILOTS AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AND HAD BEEN REPAIRED AND RE- OPENED TO TRAFFIC ONLY ON JUNE 29. BUT THE RUNWAY STILL LACKED SLASHES - KNOWN AS GROOVING - MEANT TO FACILITATE DRAINAGE ON RAINY DAYS AND INCREASE THE GRIP OF PLANES AT LANDING TO AVOID SKIDDING, THE PRESIDENT OF THE STATE AIRPORT OPERATOR JOSE CARLOS PEREIRA SAID ON RE-OPENING. THE PENDING WORK WAS SCHEDULED TO BE UNDERTAKEN IN AUGUST. THE BRAZILIAN CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY ANAC ALSO SAID IT HAS LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION AS TO THE POSSIBLE CAUSES OF THE ACCIDENT, AND SAID IT WOULD OVERSEE THAT THE AIRLINE PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE RELATIVES OF THE VICTIMS. THE CIVIL DEFENCE SERVICE MEANWHILE SAID SOME 27 RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SCENE HAD BEEN EVACUATED FOR SAFETY REASONS AS THE TAN EXPRESS BUILDING THREATENED TO COLLAPSE. THE AIRCRAFT'S FLIGHT RECORDER WAS FOUND OVERNIGHT. AMONG THE PASSENGERS WERE GERMAN-BORN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT JULIO REDECKER OF THE SOCIAL DEMOCRACY PARTY (PSDB) AND THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL CLUB INTERNACIONAL PORTO ALEGRE, ROGERIO AMORETTY. BRAZILIAN FIRST DIVISION CLUB GREMIO NARROWLY ESCAPED DISASTER AS THEY TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER PLANE SHORTLY BEFORE THE ILL-FATED TAM AIRLINE TOOK OFF IN PORTO ALEGRE. CONGONHAS AIRPORT, IN SOUTHERN SAO PAULO, IS THE BUSIEST IN BRAZIL. IT RE-OPENED ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, ALTHOUGH AUTHORITIES SAID ONLY AN AUXILIARY RUNWAY WOULD BE OPEN AND THAT IT WAS OPERATING WITH RESTRICTIONS AS TO THE SIZE OF PLANES.
