Brazil Mourns Footballers Killed in Colombia Plane Crash

Local media reported that the charter aircraft was carrying members of the football team, Chapecoense, from Brazil.

Fans of Chapecoense soccer team are pictured in front of the Arena Conda stadium in Chapeco, Brazil on Monday. (Photo: Reuters)

Tap to refresh

• A charted flight carrying a Brazilian first division soccer team, Chapecoense, along with officials and journalists, crashed in Colombia.
  
• Reports say 76 people have been killed, including crew members, with only 5 survivors.
  
• The team was on its way to the finals of a regional tournament.
  
• The South American football federation suspended all games and other activities, including the South American Cup final, following the crash.
  
• Rescue operations for survivors at the site of the plane crash were suspended in the early hours of Tuesday morning amid heavy rain.
  
• Brazil’s President Michel Temer on Tuesday expressed on his grief for the victims of the plane crash.
  

Updated at:30th Nov, 2016 at 10:31 AM

Brazil’s President Expresses Grief

Brazil’s President Michel Temer on Tuesday expressed on his grief for the victims of the plane crash.

“I express my solidarity in this sad hour during which tragedy has beset dozens of Brazilian families,” Temer said in a statement, adding that Brazil's Foreign Ministry and Air Force were working to assist the relatives.

“The government will do all it can to alleviate the pain of the friends and family of sport and national journalism.”

Updated at:29th Nov, 2016 at 6:41 PM

76 Dead, Only 5 Survive

Members of Chapocoense, the Brazilian football club, were among the 72 passengers and 9 crew members on board the aircraft that crashed in Colombia on its way to Medellin's international airport. The primary reason cited for the crash, that took place around 10 pm local time, was low fuel.

There are conflicting reports on the death toll. While Reuters reports that 71 have died, including most of the team and the accompanying journalists, AP reports that 76 have been killed.

Local media reported that the charter aircraft, which had deported from Bolivia, was carrying members of the football team which was scheduled to play Copa Sudamerica finals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in Medellin.

Of the total 81 on board, only 5 survived. The survivors include footballers Danilo, Follmann, Alan Rushel, journalist Rafael Henzel and crew member Ximena Suárez, according to local media reports. They are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in La Ceja.

Updated at:30th Nov, 2016 at 10:31 AM

Alan Ruschel (right). (Photo: Reuters)

Updated at:29th Nov, 2016 at 3:00 PM

ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENT

Colombia Plane Crash Rescue Ops Halted Due to Heavy Rain, Says Airport

Rescue operations at the site of the plane crash were suspended in the early hours of Tuesday morning amid heavy rain, Medellin airport said.

The operations had begun immediately after the crash.

Family members and friends of those on board the flight wait for the news of the victims.(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Andres Felipe Arcos)

According to AFP, the Jose Maria Cordova de Rionegro airport, which serves Medellin, said in a statement that “all possible aid was being mobilised because six survivors are being reported”. 

Rescue teams, from firefighters to disaster management officials, pressed in to the search for survivors, added the director of disaster management for the province of Antioquia.

Poor weather conditions made the crash site accessible only by road, airport authorities in Medellin – where the plane was scheduled to land – said on Twitter.

Fog, cold and rain make the search operations more difficult.

Coronel Pineros, Risk and Rescue Commission

Image of the crashed aircraft. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Andres Felipe Arcos)

Authorities and rescuers were immediately activated, but an air force helicopter had to turn back due to low visibility owing to harsh weather conditions.

Updated at:29th Nov, 2016 at 2:23 PM

“It’s a tragedy of huge proportions,” Gutierrez told Blu Radio on his way to the site in a mountainous area outside the city, where the chartered aircraft is believed to have crashed.

The team in the aircraft before the crash. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Andres Felipe Arcos)

Updated at:29th Nov, 2016 at 1:53 PM

A Twitter user posted a video that shows the plane going missing on the radar.

South American Football Association Halts All Games After Colombia Crash

The South American football federation suspended all games and other activities, including the South American Cup final, following the crash.

The team was scheduled to play on Wednesday in the first of a two-game Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin. It was the first time the small club from Chapeco had ever reached the final of a major South American club competition, but they were underdogs against a club going for a rare double after winning the Copa Libertadores in July.

A video published on the team's Facebook page showed the team readying for the flight earlier on Monday in Sao Paulo's Guarulhos international airport.

Brazilian first division soccer club Chapecoense has issued a brief statement following the crash.

In a statement on its Facebook page, Chapecoense said "may God accompany our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests traveling with our delegation."

The team said it would refrain from any further statements until it had fully evaluated the extent of the crash.

The team, from the small city of Chapeco, joined Brazil's first division in 2014 for the first time since the 1970s and made it to the Copa Sudamericana finals last week by defeating Argentina's legendary San Lorenzo squad.

(With inputs from media agencies.)

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Updated at:29th Nov, 2016 at 5:38 PM