Plane carrying Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense crashes

A chartered flight carrying 72 passengers, including the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense, crashed en route to Jose Maria Cordova International Airport in Rionegro, Colombia late Monday night.

Seventy five people are believed to be dead, including most of the nine crew members, although authorities said at least six people survived the crash. The plane, a British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane, crashed into a hill in the La Union region of Antioquia, which is roughly 20 miles from the airport.

The plane declared an emergency at 10 p.m. on Monday because of electrical failure. The site of the crash was difficult to reach because of poor weather conditions.

“We confirm the rescue of a sixth survivor who is being evacuated,” UNGRD, Colombia’s emergency management agency, wrote on its Twitter account. “We are not ruling out the possibility of finding more survivors.”

Chapecoense players Jackson Follman, Alan Ruschel and Helio Hermito Zampier Neto were reportedly among those who survived the crash along with a flight crew member, a flight attendant and a journalist.

Marcos Danilo Padilha, another Chapecoense player, reportedly survived the crash but died while being treated by paramedics.

Chapecoense was scheduled to play Atletico Nacional in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final on Wednesday night.

“May God accompany our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests traveling with our delegation,” Chapecoense said in a statement on its Facebook page.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), which is South America’s governing body for soccer, suspended the Copa Sudamericana final and league activities indefinitely.

Atletico Nacional has asked CONMEBOL to award Chapecoense the Copa Sudamericana title.

“After being very concerned with the humanity part, we thought of the competitive aspect and we want to publish this release where Atletico Nacional invites CONMEBOL to award the Copa Sudamericana title to Chapecoense in honor of the team’s huge loss and in homage to victims of the fatal accident that our sport mourns,” Atletico Nacional said in a statement.

Brazilian president Michel Temer declared three days of national mourning following the crash.

“I express my solidarity at this sad time when dozens of Brazilian families have been affected by tragedy,” Temer wrote on his Twitter account.