VOA · What's Trending Today?
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed3:252018-08-01public domain
What's Trending Today? covers viral stories and social media moments in short, punchy reports. The episodes are brief and topical — perfect for a quick daily dictation session.
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01This is what's trending today.
02All 103 passengers and crew members have survived a plane crash in Mexico.
03The Aeromexico-operated jet had just taken off Tuesday in the Mexican state of Durango when it smashed into the ground near the runway.
04All the people on board survived the crash and were able to escape before the plane fully caught fire.
05Nearly all of them suffered some injuries, Mexican officials say.
06Most of the injuries were minor, but a pilot and one young passenger remain in critical condition.
07Some of the survivors have posted pictures and videos on social media.
08Twitter user Ashley Garcia posted a video she took right before and during the crash.
09People can be heard shouting in fear.
10The video also shows the passengers walking away from the fiery plane after they escaped.
11Another survivor tweeted that it was the scariest moment of my life.
12Never thought this would happen to me.
13Alberto Herrera of Chicago, Illinois was on the plane.
14He told the Associated Press that a strong burst of wind and hail hit the plane and pushed it back to the ground.
15The higher up we went, into the storm, the heavier the hail got, and more wind got to us, he said.
16Then all of a sudden the plane starts rocking and it starts seriously, seriously moving around, and then hitting the ground.
17Herrera and other survivors said the plane burst into flames right after it hit the ground.
18We felt the flames coming quickly.
19There was a lot of smoke, Jacqueline Flores told the newspaper El Sol.
20Romulo Campuzano, the head of a political party in Durango State, told Foro TV that both wings were on fire as he and other passengers escaped from the plane.
21Officials say it is too early to say what caused the crash.
22But investigators are expected to look into wind shear as a possibility.
23That is when there is a difference in the speed or direction of wind over a short distance in the atmosphere.
24Aero-Mexico chief Andres Conesa described the day as very difficult and credited the timely reaction of crew and passengers for their survival.
25Conesa said the passengers included 88 adults, 9 children, and 2 babies.
26The crew consisted of 2 flight attendants and 2 pilots.
27And that's what's trending today.
28I'm Ashley Thompson.
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