Colombian plane crash killed 76: police

By Reuters   November 29, 2016 | 01:51 am PT
76 over 81 passengers were killed.

An airplane crash in Colombia has killed 76 people, the vast majority of the 81 passengers and crew who were on board the plane, the Colombian police said early on Tuesday.

The plane was carrying players, coaches and staff from the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense, as well as journalists set to covering the team's match in the Sudamericana final, South America's equivalent of the Europa League.

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 said on Twitter the last tracking signal from flight 2933 had been received when it was at 15,500 feet, about 30 km from its destination, which sits at an altitude of 7,000 feet.

The Avro RJ85 was produced by a company that is now part of UK's BAE Systems

The charter flight was carrying 72 passengers and nine crew, when it crashed around 10:15 p.m. on Monday. Heavy rain first hampered and then halted rescue operations. Officials told local media that bodies would be removed once the sun rose.

Brazilian news organizations reported 21 journalists had been on board.

Brazilian TV channels Globonews and SporTV identified the surviving players as defender Alan Ruschel, goalkeeper Danilo and reserve goalkeeper Jakson Follmann. It was not immediately possible to confirm survivors' identities.

It was the first time the small club from Chapeco had reached the final of a major South American club competition but they were underdogs against a club going for a rare double after winning the Copa Libertadores in July.

Chapecoense were the 21st biggest club in Brazil in terms of revenue, bringing in 46 million reais ($13.5 million) in 2015, according to an annual rich list compiled by Brazilian bank Itau BBA.

Players of Chapecoense. Photo by Reuters/Paulo Whitaker/File Photo

Players of Chapecoense. Photo by Reuters/Paulo Whitaker/File Photo

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Plane with 81 aboard crashes in Colombia: civil aviation body

 
 
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