Three players from Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense are reportedly among a handful of survivors of a plane crash in Colombia that is believed to have left dozens dead.
Eighty-one people were on Lamia Bolivia flight LMI2933, which departed from Bolivia's Viru Viru Airport and was headed to Medellin, Colombia, when it disappeared from the radar around 10pm local time (2pm AEDT).
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Plane carrying Brazilian soccer team crashes
The Brazilian Chapecoense football club was on board a flight which crashed near Medellin, Colombian. Vision: Nine News
Of those, 72 were passengers, including the Brazilian soccer team and journalists covering their match. Nine were crew members.
The team was on its way to the final of the prestigious Copa Sudamericana Cup, where it had been due to play against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday.
Local authorities were able to rescue six survivors at the crash site near the small Colombian town of La Unión, a civil aviation official said.
Alfredo Bocanegra added that it was "undeniable" the death toll from the crash would be high, but said it was still too early to give a count of those killed.
The aircraft was completely destroyed.
Bad weather hampered rescue efforts from the air, with rescuers only able to access the site by land.
By early morning local time, Medellin's José María Córdova International Airport said on Twitter that the search for survivors had been suspended due to heavy rain.
Brazilian TV channels Globonews and SporTV identified the three players who survived the crash as defender Alan Ruschel, goalkeeper Danilo and reserve goalkeeper Jakson Follmann.
Ruschel, 27, reportedly remained conscious after the accident and was able to talk to his rescuers.
The South American football federation suspended all games and other activities "until further notice", in light of the crash.
The federation, CONMEBOL, added in a statement on its website that its president, Alejandro Dominguez, was on his way to Medellin, near the crash site.
Footage from aviation site FlightRadar 24 showed the plane flying in circles and losing altitude before disappearing south of Rionegro.
Local media reported the plane may have been low on fuel.
More to come
AP, Reuters