Survivors of a plane crash in Columbia are calling it a miracle that only one person died. A Boeing 737 jet carrying six crew and 121 passengers split into three pieces after a suspected lightening strike caused the plane to land 80 meters short of the runway on the Island of St Andres. The only casualty was 68-year-old Amar Fernandez de Barreto who was being taken to hospital when he died of what is thought to have been a heart attack.

A number of passengers were taken to hospital after being rescued from the wreckage and five people are said to be in a critical condition. Robert Sanchez, a hospital director, said that he was surprised that such a crash had not resulted in more fatalities.

Pedro Gallardo, the island’s governor, said he thanked God for the fact that nearly all of the passengers survived. National police general, Orlando Paez, also described the crash as a miracle. He said the aircraft’s engines had shut down on impact and that it was down to the skill of the pilot the plane remained on the runway.

Survivors have described how everything was going smoothly before the aircraft landed on its belly short of the runway and started to disintegrate. Fire fighters were quickly on the scene and were able to douse the beginnings of a fire.

Aerovias de Intergracion Regional SA, the owners of the plane, confirmed that they would be working with the Columbian authorities to find out what caused the crash.