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Plane carrying Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense crashes in Colombia

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A chartered plane carrying 81 people, including members of a Brazilian soccer club, crashed on the outskirts of Medellín, Colombia, killing nearly everyone onboard, authorities said early Tuesday.

Colombia's civilian aviation authority said that six people had survived the crash - three players, two crew members and a journalist who was accompanying the team.

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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

The flight was operated by a small airline, LaMia, and was carrying members of the Chapecoense de Brasil soccer club, according to the civil aviation authority. They were travelling from Bolivia to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana tournament when the plane crashed around 10 pm on Monday.

The aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and nine crew members, according to a statement issued by the Medellín airport. Search and rescue efforts were hampered by low visibility and difficulty in reaching the site. Authorities said the plane had reported electrical problems as it flew near the towns of La Ceja and La Unión, in mountainous stretches around Medellín.

The crash crushed the hopes of one of the most impressive success stories in Brazilian soccer. In a national soccer league plagued by corruption scandals, mismanagement and lingering fury over the debacle of the national team's loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Chapecoense managed to achieve success on the field and financial stability. It emerged as a scrappy upstart, challenging giants like Flamengo, Corinthians and other storied Brazilian clubs. In southern Brazil, the team was the pride of Chapecó, a staid city of 210,000 known for its food processing plants and other agribusiness ventures.

At least 21 journalists were reported to be onboard the chartered plane, including reporters from Fox Latin America, the Globo television network and news organisations from southern Brazil. All but one died, authorities said.

In a televised address, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia called the crash "a tragedy that has the whole region in mourning." He said that of the six survivors, two were in critical condition, and that he had spoken with President Michel Temer of Brazil, offering any assistance needed.

The Colombian station Blu Radio, citing an interview it conducted with Alfredo Bocanegra, Colombia's civil aviation director, said the plane had declared an emergency as it approached Medellín. The plane was given priority to land before air traffic controllers lost contact with it.

Federico Gutiérrez, mayor of Medellín, told Blu Radio that "emergency support, with firefighters, ambulances and the hospital network" had been activated.

Members of Chapecoense were flying to Colombia for the first match of a two-leg final in the Copa Sudamericana, a second-tier championship for South American clubs. That match, against the Colombian team Atlético Nacional, was scheduled for Wednesday in Medellín. Chapecoense beat San Lorenzo, the Argentine club that counts Pope Francis as a fan, in the semifinals, and clubs like Atlético Junior of Colombia and Independiente of Argentina along the way.

The South American Football Confederation said that it had suspended the Copa Sudamericana and that the group's president was heading to Medellín.

As Brazilians awoke on Tuesday to reports about the crash, they expressed anguish, and President Temer said on Twitter that there would be a three-day mourning period.

"Before boarding, they said they were seeking to turn their dream into reality," Plínio David de Nes Filho, chairman of the board overseeing the Chapecoense club, told reporters. "This morning, that dream is over."

The mayor of Chapecó, the city in southern Brazil where the club is based, said he and other officials narrowly missed being on the plane. Pride in the club had swelled in Chapecó, a relatively prosperous city with an economy that relies on large food processing operations.

"We were supposed to be on that flight," said the mayor, Luciano Buligon, adding that he and others had opted instead to take a commercial flight.

Others expressed relief about reports of survivors, including three players. "Thank God Alan is in the hospital, in stable condition," Moa Ruschel, the wife of Alan Ruschel, a defender for Chapecoense who was among the survivors, said in a post on Instagram. "We are praying for everyone who wasn't saved."​

Conmebol, the governing body of South American soccer, issued a statement to say that all of the federation's activities would be suspended until further notice. A number of teams in Brazil cancelled events; Barcelona said it would hold a moment of silence before training on Tuesday; and clubs from across the world, including Manchester City and AC Milan, presented their condolences.

Romário de Souza Faria, a former striker for the Brazilian national team, expressed his "solidarity with the friends and families of the players, journalists, technical staff and flight crew" who died in the crash.

"God please help all those who were onboard the plane," Alexandre Pato, who plays in Spain and has been a member of Brazil's national team, wrote on Twitter.

The New York Times