Plane taking Brazilian soccer team to cup final in Colombia crashes, 71 dead
A plane taking Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense to a South American cup final crashed in Colombia after reporting an electrical fault, killing 71 people, including most of the team and accompanying journalists.
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The plane slammed into a mountainside near Medellin on November 28 night as the team flew to face Atletico Nacional for the Copa Sudamericana, which is South America's equivalent of the Europa League.
It was Colombia's worst air disaster in two decades and there were only six survivors.
Global soccer was stunned with tributes pouring in from major figures from Pele to Lionel Messi.
The BAe 146 charter plane, en route from Bolivia where the team had a stopover, went down about 10:15 p.m. on November 28 night with 68 passengers and a crew of nine on board.
The aircraft had reported electrical problems and declared an emergency minutes earlier as it neared its destination, Medellin airport officials said.
In addition to players, coaches and staff, 21 journalists had been on board the plane to cover the match, Brazilian news organizations said.
Colombia's civil aviation authority identified the six survivors as players Alan Ruschel, Jackson Follmann and Hélio Neto; journalist Rafael Valmorbida; Bolivian flight attendant Ximena Suarez; and Bolivian flight technician Erwin Tumiri.