Stunned survivors of the fiery crash at Toronto airport were coming to grips with their ordeal today while investigators tried to determine what caused the plane to skid off the runway during a bad storm.
All 309 passengers and crew survived the crash of the Air France Airbus, abandoning the aircraft down emergency escape chutes and racing toward safety as the aircraft began to burn. Officials said about 24 people had suffered minor injuries.
"It's incredible, it's a miracle," said Canada's Transport Minister Jean Lapierre said in his first comments on the crash.
The Transportation Safety Board said it was too early to give any possible cause for the accident at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.
Media speculation centered on whether the plane was hit by lightning as it landed at the airport, which is located alongside a busy highway. A wet runway could have caused aquaplaning, or a sudden tailwind could have blown the plane toward the end of the runway before it landed.
Air France said 101 French citizens and 104 Canadians were aboard the plane, as well as people from Britain, Italy, India and the United States.
Air France KLM Chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta said in Paris he would not give theories on why the crash happened.
"I think it is wise to wait until the competent investigation commissions give us their assessment," he said.
"Air France is paying homage to the entire crew -- to the captain, to the first officer and to the cabin crew," the airline said in a statement. "Their calm and professionalism have prevented a drama."
"Before being hospitalized, the first officer made a last check around the aircraft to make sure that no passengers remained on board," it added.
The A340-300 has a range of more than 7,000 miles (11,000 km), which makes it popular with more than two dozen carriers for long-haul flights.
Investigators will zero in on the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for information on crew and on the aircraft's performance.
The plane, an Airbus A340 had 28,418 flight hours and joined the Air France fleet on Sept 7, 1999.
It was last serviced on July 5, 2005 and it had no technical problems when it left Paris.