Reports are flying in that the aircraft that was carrying Chapecoense FC to Medellin for their Copa Sudamerica match has crashed near Medellin.
Colombian publication Noticias Caracol have broken the story that the aircraft that was carrying Brazilian side Chapecoense FC has suffered a crash near the city of Medellin. The plane was first reported missing but it has now been confirmed that the carrier has crashed near the municipal limits of Medellin.
Brazilian outfit Chapecoense FC were travelling from Bolivia to Medellin, wherein they were scheduled to face Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in the Copa Sudamerica finals. Rionegro airport has confirmed that the passenger aircraft was carrying a total of 72 passengers and nine crew members.
The @AeropuertoMDE confirms LAMIA Bolivia RJ85, registration CP-2933 has crashed near Medellin, Colombia. https://t.co/ayIDZCJVZs pic.twitter.com/GUzZcwHkwo
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 29, 2016
As per the information from the authorities, the aircraft presented an emergency situation at Cerro Gordo in the municipality of La Union in Antioquia. The reason of the crash is still being speculated with RT claiming that the crash was due to lack of fuel. Medellin airport, however, has stated that the aircraft confirmed an emergency situation regarding an electrical failure, which, according to the authorities, is the most likely cause of the crash.
Plane carrying #Brazilian #football team crashes in #Colombia – reports https://t.co/2ydgVQLzdP
— Аnkit Thakur (@ankitxt) November 29, 2016
Medellin airport says that the plane carrying the Chapecoense team declared an emergency following electrical failure.
— Joshua Hoyos (@JoshuaHoyos) November 29, 2016
Medellin mayor Federico Gutierrez spoke on Blu Radio, terming the incident as a tragedy of epic proportions and confirmed that ambulances and rescuers are on the way to carry out the evacuation process.
Also, as per El Universio, South American Football Association CONMEBOL, upon learning of the incident, has announced that the football tournament, the Copa Sudamerica, has been suspended. There have been reports of fatalities from the crash and the evacuation process is underway as at the present moment.
Official Medellin Airport statement: 6 surviviors (so far) pic.twitter.com/vWMZrBJL1S
— Felipe Mekhitarian (@BrasileiraoBlog) November 29, 2016
Update: Matters have gone from bad to worse as there are confirmed reports of an earthquake of 3.8 on the richter scale hitting the region where the plane went down.
If you can understand Spanish, you can follow all the updates from the field here. Also, you can follow Felipe Mekhitarian’s official twitter handle for more updates.