Plane swerves off runway at Madrid airport

An airliner swerved off a runway while taking off from Madrid airport Wednesday, the Spanish national airport authority AENA said. Television footage showed thick white smoke rising from the scene. The Spanair plane had been taking off for the Canary Islands, AENA said. The agency said it had no information on possible injuries or how many people were on the plane. The newspaper El Pais said there were 160 people on the plane.