Colombia Plane Crash Live Updates: Aircraft Carrying Soccer Players From Brazil Crashes

UPDATE: 6:34 a.m. EST -- Brazil has declared a mourning period after an air disaster in Colombia killed 76 people, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Lamia Airlines Flight 2933 was carrying 81 people, including Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense and other sports delegates. The team was scheduled to play in the Copa Sudamericana finals Wednesday against Atletico Nacional of Colombia. The game was suspended following the crash. Gen. Jose Acevedo, the head of local police, said: "Six people were rescued alive, but unfortunately one died."

Local TV reported that soccer player Alan Ruschel was among those who survived the crash.

UPDATE: 4:40 a.m. EST -- Police in Colombia confirmed Tuesday that at least five survivors have been found while the rest of the passengers have been killed in the plane crash, the Associated Press reported. Colombia's civil aviation authority said that the survivors include three players, two crew members and one journalist.

UPDATE: 3:50 a.m. EST — Twenty-five bodies have been recovered from the crash site where a plane carrying 81 people, including a Brazilian soccer team, went down Tuesday, Agence France-Presse wrote on its Twitter account, citing an official. The official also confirmed five people had been rescued so far.

UPDATE: 3:06 a.m. EST — The mayor of the nearby La Ceja municipality in Colombia said at least three survivors were found on the site after a plane carrying 72 members from Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense and nine crew crashed Tuesday. Elkin Ospina also said the situation was complicated because the plane broke in two.

Meanwhile, reports said that Jakson Ragnar Follmann, a goalkeeper for Chapecoense, was among those who survived the crash.

UPDATE: 2:18 a.m. EST — Airport officials said in a statement six survivors were being transferred to nearby hospitals. The extent of their injuries remains unclear.

Colombia Civil Aviation Authority reportedly said (in Spanish) the aircraft declared an emergency because it was low on fuel, following which it was given priority for landing but the plane could not make it.

UPDATE: 1:28 a.m. EST — The aircraft, which crashed near Medellin Tuesday, was carrying 72 passengers and 9 crew members, BBC reported.

In a statement, Medellin’s Jose Maria Cordova International Airport said the plane — with a CP2933 registration number — declared it had electrical faults, according to those with information from the civil air traffic control tower.

Local news agency shared photos fro the crash site on Twitter.

UPDATE: 1:03 a.m. EST — Medellin’s Mayor Federico Gutierrez reportedly said Tuesday it is possible there are survivors from the plane crash that occurred in a mountainous area outside the city.

“It’s a tragedy of huge proportions,” Gutierrez told Blu Radio on his way to the crash site, adding that ambulances and rescuers were on their way.

Medellin’s Jose Maria Cordova International Airport wrote on its Twitter account that the site of the accident could only be accessed by land due to weather conditions.

Original story:

A plane carrying 72 people on board crashed on its way to Medellin's international airport in Colombia, local authorities said Tuesday. Officials reportedly said the plane was carrying soccer players from Brazil.

Medellin airport said on its Twitter account the aircraft had taken off from Bolivia.

So far, there has been no word of any survivors from the crash. The plane is reportedly a charter aircraft which was carrying members of the soccer team Chapecoense. The team was scheduled to play Copa Sudamerica finals against Atletico Nacional in Medellin on Wednesday.

This is a developing story.