Plane carrying Brazilian football team crashes in Colombia

Plane carrying Brazilian football team crashes in Colombia

A plane carrying a South American football team has crashed in Colombia.

The flight was transporting the Brazilian side Chapecoense to Medellin airport when it disappeared off radar.

There were 72 passengers and 9 crew on board the charter plane, which was carrying the team to their match against Atletico Nacional.

Officials from Jose Maria Cordova International Airport reported only six survivors in a statement.

A video shared on Twitter claimed to show the moment the plane disappeared from view on flight radar.

The plane reportedly crashed due to lack of fuel at around 10.15pm local time.

It is thought to have come down in Cerro Gordo in the municipality of La Union, according to Mi Oriente.

Colombia has been hit by heavy storms which are hampering rescue efforts.

“The site of the accident is only accessible by land due to climatic conditions and low visibility,” a statement from the airport said.

“The Colombian Air Force deployed a search and rescue helicopter which had to cancel the mission due to the adverse conditions.

“According to the authorities the police are mobilising all possible help since they are reporting six survivors.”

Colombian news website Noticias Caracol tweeted what is purported to be the first pictures of the wreckage.

SayNaija has not been able to independently verify the images.

Se conocen las primeras imágenes del avión de Chapecoense accidentado en Antioquia https://t.co/ib3I96L34E #NoticiasCaracol pic.twitter.com/asbo8QC7vo

— Noticias Caracol (@NoticiasCaracol) November 29, 2016

There have reportedly been a number of fatalities although an exact number is as yet unknown.

At least 10 people have been injured and are being evacuated from the scene, the commander of La Union fire department said, according to the website.

Chapecoense had reached the finals of the Copa Sudamericana by beating Argentina’s San Lorenzo over two legs in the semi-finals, which concluded last week.

Earlier in the day, the Chapocoense football team’s official Facebook page posted a video of the players waiting to board the flight at Viru Viru International Airport in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.