Flight carrying Brazilian footballers crashes in Colombia

Chapecoense, the football club whose players were on board the flight, was scheduled to play Atletico Nacional in the finals of Copa Sudamericana in Medellin.

By: Score Keepers |
November 29, 2016 4:32 pm

A plane carrying 81 passengers, including the players from Brazilian football club Chapecoense, has reportedly crashed near Rionegro in Colombia. Only five people survived, including three members of the team.

The incident occurred after the charter flight had left from Bolivia and was on its way to Colombia’s Medellin International Airport. The flight had members of the Chapocoense football team, which is scheduled to play Atletico Nacional in the Copa Sudamerica final in Medellin. The rescuers are removing survivors from the site of crash in Central Colombia. Medellin’s mayor Federico Guiterrez told Associated Presss that the ambulances were on their way to help the victims. However, the reason behind the crash is not known.

“It’s a tragedy of huge proportions,” the mayor told a local radio channel while travelling to the mountainous region of the Latin American country wherein the flight crashed. Medellin’s international airport has confirmed that the flight was carrying the members of football club Chapecoense.

First images from Chapecoense flight accident scene (via @Antnoticias). There are news of 6 survivors being treated pic.twitter.com/BhJ57r8fsF

— Felipe Mekhitarian (@BrasileiraoBlog) November 29, 2016

The Copa Americana is South America’s secondary football tournament organised by South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). Chapocoense is a Brazilian football team based in Chapeco. It also plays futsal and has been a state champion twice.