We may never identify the bodies of some victims of Madrid plane fireball, admit investigators

So far, remains of 92 of the 154 who died have been identified and most of the pending cases should be resolved in a few days, said Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba. 'We are working day and night,' he added.

Forensic teams are using DNA techniques to identify many of the bodies because they were burned beyond recognition when a Spanair MD-82 bound for the Canary Islands crashed while taking off from Madrid airport last Wednesday.

The tail of the crashed Spainair plane. Spanish authorities say some of the 154 victims of the tragedy may never be identified

The minister said the process is taking longer than expected because of the poor condition of some of the remains and difficulty in obtaining DNA samples from relatives, especially those of foreigners who died in the disaster.

One of those who died was a foreign-born, adopted child.

Mr Rubalcaba said: 'If you have a sample from a brother or a father, it is easy. But if we get away from this and have to turn to more distant relatives, things are much, much more complicated.

'Will some bodies go unidentified? I cannot tell you right now, but it is a possibility.'

Rubalcaba said the identification process is being carried out meticulously, addressing fears of some families that errors might be committed.

This is a painful issue in Spain because in May 2003, 62 Spanish peacekeepers returning home from Afghanistan died when their Russian-built YAK-42 plane crashed in Turkey and mistakes were made in identifying many of the bodies. Some families were given the wrong remains.

The newspaper El Pais, quoting sources close to the crash investigation, said it is focusing on the possibility that the Spanair jet lacked proper engine power as it tried to take off. The plane struggled to get airborne, veered to the right and crashed, burning and largely disintegrating.

El Pais said airport video of the takeoff shows that the plane used up much more of the runway than it normally should as it tried to take off for the Canary Islands, which suggested insufficient thrust.

The Development Ministry, which handles civil aviation in Spain, did not return a call seeking comment on the newspaper report.

One of the 18 survivors of the crash, Colombian-born Spaniard Ligia Palomino Riveros, said this weekend that the plane struggled to pick up speed on the runway and was still flying very low when its right wing dipped.

The plane then started 'wobbling' and it plunged to the ground, she said.