Space shuttle breaks apart over Texas; seven astronauts killed.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Martin Merzer, Phil Long and Seth Borenstein

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. _ The space shuttle Columbia, carrying six Americans and the first Israeli astronaut, disintegrated in flames Saturday over north Texas en route to a landing at Cape Canaveral. All aboard were killed.

The astronauts never had a chance. Crewmembers have no way to escape a shuttle as it glides to a landing without power at 12,500 mph.

"This day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country," President Bush said. "The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors ...

"The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth, yet we can pray they all are safely home. May God bless the grieving families."

Debris rained over 100 miles of Texas fields and highways, stretching from near Dallas all the way to Louisiana. Residents reported finding metal fragments and piles of ash and what appeared to be a door of the shuttle.

Late Saturday recovery crews prepared to begin the grim, agonizing search for human remains. NASA engineers and managers began the first phase of a painstaking search for the cause.