Survivors tell of terror in Columbia plane crash

SURVIVORS from a Colombian plane crash have told how the Boeing 737 airliner suddenly plummeted to the ground in a crash on Monday that miraculously claimed only one life from the 131 people on board.

Authorities say it happened so quickly the pilot did not report an emergency to the control tower at Colombia's Caribbean resort island of San Andres.

"The pilot informed us we were going to land in San Andres, we buckled our seat belts, settled in - and a second later, boom! A big bang," said 25-year-old Alvaro Granados, who was flying with his wife and two children. "When my wife and I stood and looked behind us the back of the plane was missing."

The aircraft skidded on its belly with its fuselage fracturing, its landing gear and at least one engine ripping off after attempting to land in a severe thunderstorm.

The one fatality was Amar Fernandez de Barreto, 68. Doctors said she may have succumbed to a heart attack rather than physical injuries from the crash. Officials said 119 people were taken to hospitals or clinics, most of them for minor injuries.

Authorities are considering whether a violent wind shift could have played a role in the crash, as well as accounts of lightning as the plane was descending.

Hernando Hernandez, a 49-year-old accountant on holiday with his wife and 11-month-old daughter, said: "A gust of wind moved the plane a little and I imagine the pilot gave the engines more power and once again put it into position.

"It seemed to me the plane's back tires touched down All of a sudden, there is a loud noise and the plane breaks apart in three."

He added: "We have to give thanks to God because this was a miracle."