A plane carrying 82 passengers including the squad of a top flight Brazilian football team has crashed in Colombia. Unconfirmed reports so far suggest more than six people have been found alive with rescue activities still ongoing.
The plane was en route from Bolivia to Medellin where the Chapecoense football club were due to play a Copa Sudamerica game against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday.
Medellin international airport has confirmed that an aircraft with the team and journalists on board was involved in an emergency. The statement from José Maria Córdova airport read:
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"At the moment we know that the disaster happened in Cerro Gordo the municipality of La Unión and that there were 72 passengers and nine crew aboard, including the football team Chapocoense Real. There are reported to be six survivors."
According to Colombia's El Tiempo newspaper, there were 22 players from the squad on board the plane and an unnamed 23rd player was supposed to travel but did not.
A local mayor from the La Ceja municipality outside Medellin says that at least three passengers have been rescued alive from the crash site so far, and that there may be more survivors but that access to the crash site is complicated.
Aviation authorities said the British Aerospace aircraft declared an emergency due to an electrical failure at 10pm local time on Monday.
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CONEMBOL - South American football's governing body - has announced a suspension of all football activities until further notice.
Spanish newspaper Sport report that the plane was the same one used to transport Lionel Messi and his Argentina team during the recent international break.
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