Two jumbo jets collided on a runway at Los Rodeos airport, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. At least 560 people died. It happened in dense fog when both airliners were taxi-ing for take off.

The crash was between a Boeing 747 (from KLM the Dutch carrier) traveling from Schipol airport, Amsterdam, and a Pan American 747 traveling from Los Angeles to Las Palmas.

All those on board the Dutch plane died. There were 60 survivors on the Pan-Am plane..

Neither plane had been due to land at Tenerife, but had been diverted after a terrorist bomb exploded in the departure lounge of Las Palmas airport on nearby Gran Canaria island.