[jdm]

"Yes it does, particularly with people scrambling out of the plane and running every which way, some perhaps in ambulances, others in buses, the plane still in flames, etc."

Yeah, exactly. For the record, I must demonstrate my optimism. At the same time, reality dictates that 290+ passengers all surviving not only the landing itself but also post-landing would be nothing short of a miracle. Sure hope the latter is true.

[Not A Snowbird]

I would hope the crew was last off, and they would know definitively if anyone was left on board.

(Unlike the pilot of the Challenger who (rumor has it), after crashing into a building, abandoned his injured copilot and passengers.)