(UPDATED) A chartered plane with 77 people on board, including a Brazilian soccer team heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, has crashed on its way to Medellin's international airport, Associated Press (AP) has reported on Tuesday.
Colombian authorities say that at least six survived, killing 71 in the tragic incident. Total passengers and crew was originally announced as 81, but four did not board.
In a statement from José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro, Colombia ( as posted on USA Today), the British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane, operated by a Bolivian charter airline named Lamia, was flying over the town of La Union at around 10 p.m. when electrical flaws were reported.
"The plane crashed shortly after in the Antioquian municipality, roughly 22 miles from the airport, which serves the city of Medellin," USA Today reported.
"It's a tragedy of huge proportions," Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez told Blu Radio.
In the recent hours, Columbia was hit by heavy rains and thunderstorms.
AP added that the aircraft is transporting the first division Chapecoense soccer team from southern Brazil. The team was scheduled to play Wednesday in the first of a two-game Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin.
"In the light of the mismatch of news that comes from the most diverse sources, giving an account of an accident with the aircraft carrying the delegation of the Blackburn, Blackburn Football Association, through its vice-President Ivan Tozzo, we reserves the right to wait for the official announcement of the Colombian Air Authority, in order to issue any official note about the accident. God will be with our athletes, leaders, journalists and other guests who are along with the delegation," Associação Chapecoense de Futebol posted on Facebook.
Here's the viral last social media post from players before the deadly crash.
UPDATE: Some reports said that Chapecoense football team was supposed to fly on a different plane, change was made last-minute by aviation authorities who have denied their request.
UPDATE: Telegraph reported that among the survivors was a Chapecoense defender named Alan Ruschel, who doctors said suffered spinal injuries. Two goalkeepers, Marcos Danilo and Jackson Follmann, as well as a member of the team's delegation and a Bolivian flight attendant, also survived the crash. However Danilo died a short time later.
The plane was carrying 68 passengers and nine crew members. Twenty-one of the passengers were journalists, of whom just one survived.
The black boxes were found, and could play a crucial role as investigators try and determine what caused the crash.
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| Photo Credit: Twitter/Associated Press |
In a statement from José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro, Colombia ( as posted on USA Today), the British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane, operated by a Bolivian charter airline named Lamia, was flying over the town of La Union at around 10 p.m. when electrical flaws were reported.
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| Lamia plane. Image courtesy of Perth Now |
The @AeropuertoMDE confirms LAMIA Bolivia RJ85, registration CP-2933 has crashed near Medellin, Colombia. https://t.co/ayIDZCJVZs pic.twitter.com/GUzZcwHkwo— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 29, 2016
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| Flight CP 2933 crash location. Image courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk |
"It's a tragedy of huge proportions," Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez told Blu Radio.
In the recent hours, Columbia was hit by heavy rains and thunderstorms.
AP added that the aircraft is transporting the first division Chapecoense soccer team from southern Brazil. The team was scheduled to play Wednesday in the first of a two-game Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin.
"In the light of the mismatch of news that comes from the most diverse sources, giving an account of an accident with the aircraft carrying the delegation of the Blackburn, Blackburn Football Association, through its vice-President Ivan Tozzo, we reserves the right to wait for the official announcement of the Colombian Air Authority, in order to issue any official note about the accident. God will be with our athletes, leaders, journalists and other guests who are along with the delegation," Associação Chapecoense de Futebol posted on Facebook.
Here's the viral last social media post from players before the deadly crash.
UPDATE: Some reports said that Chapecoense football team was supposed to fly on a different plane, change was made last-minute by aviation authorities who have denied their request.
UPDATE: Telegraph reported that among the survivors was a Chapecoense defender named Alan Ruschel, who doctors said suffered spinal injuries. Two goalkeepers, Marcos Danilo and Jackson Follmann, as well as a member of the team's delegation and a Bolivian flight attendant, also survived the crash. However Danilo died a short time later.
The black boxes were found, and could play a crucial role as investigators try and determine what caused the crash.
