Jetliner crashes on Colombian island; 1 killed

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

Colombian Air Force Col. David Barrero said officials were investigating reports the plane had been hit by lightning before crashing at 1:49 a.m. (3:49 a.m. EDT; 0649 GMT) while landing at San Andres Island, aresort island of 78,000 people about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of the Nicaraguan coast.

San Andres Gov. Pedro Gallardo said 125 passengers and six crew members had been aboard, but the only person killed was Amar Fernandez de Barreto, 65. At least five people were reported injured.

"It was a miracle and we have to give thanks to God," the governor said.

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."

Barrero said the 7,545-foot (2,300-meter) runway had been closed because parts of the plane were still scattered across it.

Click image to see photos of the wreckage

AP/Periodico El Isleno, Richard Garcia

The Aires jet had left the Colombian capital of Bogota at about midnight.

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

(This version CORRECTS source on injured as governor sted colonel.)

Cardinals-Reds Brawl: Baseball’s Best Fight in Years

Cardinals-Reds Brawl: Baseball’s Best Fight in Years

Yadier Molina clearly was the instigator in the fight. Was his trash talk necessary after Brandon Phillips called the Cardinals “little bitches?” Something needed to be done, and that usually is accomplished via hit-by-pitch. Guess Molina was really pissed. After the benches emptied, order was quickly restored and it appeared to be just another overrated baseball skirmish. Then Scott Rolen went after former teammate Chris Carpenter.

Rolen went after Chris Carpenter. Carpenter and Johnny Cueto were shove against the net in front of the Diamond seats. Carpenter very nearly went down on his back. Cueto, the starting pitcher, could be seen kicking at someone. Former Red Jason LaRue was right in the middle of scrum. A report had Cueto kicking LaRue in the face. Dusty Baker was in the middle of it, shouting at Tony La Russa. La Russa and Baker have a history 2002 division series. A couple of players were in a pile on the ground. Jonny Gomes came out of it with a torn shirt.

That’s from the Cincinnati Enquirer. Johnny Cueto, who found himself trapped with Cardinals all around him, ended up kicking wildly. It did some damage. This, from the Post-Dispatch:

The fight trapped pitcher Chris Carpenter against the backstop as Cueto began kicking wildly. Several kicks raked Carpenter’s back; at least one caught LaRue squarely in the face, resulting in significant bruising and what manager Tony La Russa called a concussion.

Oh, and the Cardinals won, 8-4, as the usually sure-handed Reds were sloppy and committed three errors. The guess here is that Phillips’ trash talk and the ensuing fight has rattled the Reds, who have lost their slim lead in the NL Central. Good luck salvaging the series against Adam Wainwright today. The teams will meet again the first weekend in September in St. Louis.

Elsewhere in baseball … the Yankees lost, allowing the Red Sox and Rays to gain ground; and the White Sox lost their third straight and have fallen into second place behind the Twins.

Pink's Newsletter Signup | PinksPage.com

Newsletter Signup | PinksPage.com

louisgray.com: Look Out, Twitter Might Put Your Account "On Notic...

louisgray.com: Look Out, Twitter Might Put Your Account "On Notic...: "Today, by all accounts, managing the massive number of users Twitter has seen flocking to the service has been a challenge for the company's..."

Uncle Sam Says You're On Notice, Twitter Style!

Get enough negative karma associated with your account, and you might see your account go on notice. While no public details are yet available for this private account, it could be a way for the company to try and avoid user attrition through aggressive account deletions, and put accounts in something of a holding pattern for violating the terms of service.