The Queen has sent her condolences following the plane crash at Madrid's airport which killed 153 people, many of them children.

There were 19 survivors after the Gran Canaria-bound Spanair jet crashed on take-off and burst into flames at Barajas airport with 166 passengers and six crew onboard.

Survivors were flung from the plane by the force of the impact and landed in a stream, saving them from more severe burns, Ervigio Corral, who headed the rescue effort, said.

He added: "Only the tail was recognisable, there was wreckage scattered all over the place and dead bodies across a wide area. A lot of them were children."

More than 70 ambulances attended the scene where a large cloud of smoke billowed from the remains of flight JK5022. Services supervisor Luis Ferreras said: "Many paramedics have never seen anything like this in their lives."

Meanwhile, a civil guard told journalists at the airport: "It just didn't look anything like an aircraft. It was horrific. Everything was burnt." A fellow officer added: "It is horrible. I just don't want to tell you about it, I don't want to describe it."

In a message to King Juan Carlos of Spain, the Queen said: "I was deeply saddened to learn of the dreadful loss of life in today's aircraft crash at Barajas airport in Madrid, the news of which has shocked us all.

"Philip joins me in sending our warm and heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of those who have died and our best wishes for a speedy recovery to those who have been injured. At this difficult time all those affected by this tragedy are in our thoughts and prayers."

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero interrupted his holidays in the south of the country to fly to the crash scene, where he promised a thorough investigation into the causes of the crash.

He said: "The government is deeply saddened, as are all Spaniards."

Police escorted tearful relatives of passengers past reporters while dozens of workers identified as psychologists and social workers arrived at the terminal. At Las Palmas airport, shocked relatives were taken into a room and offered counselling by Red Cross psychiatrists.

The Spanish Olympic Committee has said the Spanish flag will fly at half mast in the Olympic village in Beijing. Spain's national soccer team wore black armbands and stood for a minute's silence at a friendly match with Denmark.

Spanair, owned by Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), has been struggling with high fuel prices and tough competition. It announced it was laying off 1,062 staff and cutting routes after losing £40 million in the first half of the year.

The MD-82 is a medium-range single-aisle plane, popular with regional airlines. It is a member of the MD-80 family of planes made by US manufacturer Boeing Co.

American Airlines had to cancel 3,000 flights earlier this year after U.S. authorities ordered them to ground MD-80 series planes to check their wiring.

Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas in 1997, and the last of the MD-80 family rolled off its production line in 1999.

Spanair issued a contact number for concerned relatives - 00 34 800 400 200.

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