Updates continue to arrive for an overnight plane crash in Colombia. The charter aircraft, which carried 81 people including members of the Brazilian Chapecoense soccer team, was traveling over a mountainous region when it reportedly experienced electrical failure.
Initial reports suggested that up to ten passengers survived the accident. CNN now updates the story with news of 75 fatalities and six survivors, the last of whom was pulled from underneath the plane’s fuselage when day broke on Tuesday. The investigation continues into the definitive cause of the crash, which occurred en route from Bolivia to Medellin International Airport.
Among the survivors are three soccer team members, along with two crew members and one journalist. The Washington Post notes that almost all of the championship team (which was on the way to a Wednesday finals match) was “wiped out” in the accident, and rescuers struggled to reach the crash site amid stormy conditions. Low visibility caused at least one aborted helicopter attempt during initial rescue stages.
One of the last photos of the team was captured on the chartered plane and arrives courtesy of Fredo of FES Bets.
https://twitter.com/ZFredo_/status/803479409651052544
One survivor included defender Alan Luciano Ruschel, whose wife expressed relief and condolences in an Instagram post: “God bless and give all family members strength.” The Guardian quotes player Alejandro Martinuccio, who was sidelined by injury and didn’t embark upon the plane for the finals match: “I was saved because I got injured. I feel profound sadness. The only thing I can ask is prayers for the companions who were on the flight.”
(Via CNN, Washington Post, The Guardian & Associated Press)