An ill-fated charter plane carrying 81 people including members of Chapecoense, Brazilian first division soccer team, that is about to become the most successful Brazilian club at the international level of 2016 crashed on the outskirts of Medellín, Columbia while on its way to the finals of a regional tournament. There are six people who survived, but one of them died in the hospital later.
Aviation authorities said that the British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane declared an emergency before 10 p.m. Monday, but lost its radar contact due to some failure in electricity. The aircraft that was operated by a charter airline LaMia boarded from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to play the finals of the most awaited two-game Copa Sudamericana tournament against Atletico Nacional of Medellin when it crashed around 10 p.m. Monday.
Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez said that emergency support with ambulances, firefighters and the hospital network was activated when they learned about what happened. He also commented that what supposed to be a celebration becomes a tragedy.
The club posted on its Facebook page saying that God may accompany their athletes, officials, journalists and other guests who were traveling with their delegation. On the other note, president of the South America's soccer federation Alejandro Dominguez was said to be on his way to Medellin and the federation itself extended its deepest condolences to the entire community of Chapecoense. The organization said in a statement that it has suspended all soccer activities until further notice according to a report in Time.
Rescuers were given hope when they pulled three passengers who were alive from the crash according to a report in The Blaze. However, it has been complicated to reach the crash site as the hours passed given low visibility grounded helicopters and heavy rainfall that is why the operation needs to freeze until dusk.
Among the survivors was a Chapecoense defender Alan Ruschel whom doctors said he has suffered from spinal injuries. Marcos Danilo and Jackson Follmann are the goalkeepers of the same team also survived but the former died while receiving hospital treatment. Furthermore, a Bolivian flight attendant was also found alive in the wreckage.
