21/08/2008 (Agence Europe) - The president of the European Commission and the president of the European Parliament reacted, on Wednesday 20 August, to the airliner accident that occurred that afternoon at Madrid-Barajas airport. The accident was one of the worst in Europe during recent years. In press releases, José Manuel Barroso and Hans-Gert Pöttering expressed condolences for all those concerned and for the families of the victims. The Spanair airliner, which was leaving for the Canary Islands, crashed at take-off, killing 153 of the 172 persons on board, according to the latest official figures. (A.B./transl.jl)