BOGOTA, Colombia, Nov. 29, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — An airplane carrying 72 passengers and nine crew members has crashed en route to Medellin’s international airport. Among the passengers was a Brazilian soccer team heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, according to ABC News. It has also been reported that several journalists were aboard the plane.
Medellin’s Mayor Federico Gutierrez said shortly after the crash that it’s possible some passengers survived, and it was later reported by The Guardian that “the management and emergency team at José Maria Córdova airport in Rio Negro, Colombia, said there had been some survivors.”
ABC News says the Medellin airport confirmed that “the aircraft, which departed from Bolivia, was transporting the Chapecoense soccer team from southern Brazil, which was scheduled to play the Copa Sudamerica finals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in Medellin.”
According to The Guardian, the plane is a British Aerospace 146 short-haul aircraft. A statement from the airport’s management reportedly said the plane declared an emergency because of electrical failures. The statement also indicated there were six survivors.
Mayor Gutierrez told Blu Radio, “It’s a tragedy of huge proportions.”
Gutierrez was on his way to the mountainous area where the chartered aircraft crashed shortly before midnight local time. He told reporters that ambulances and rescuers were on their way.
This is a developing story. Gephardt Daily will provide more information as it becomes available.
