Colombian plane crash that left 76 dead wiped out Brazilian side who had CHANGED flights at the last minute as they travelled for cup final
THE TOP Brazilian football club wiped out on doomed Flight LMI2933 which crashed in Colombia CHANGED PLANES at the last minute.
Seventy-seven people were killed in what is the deadliest air disaster in the world this year.
Photos from the crash site showed wreckage strewn across the remote area near La Ceja
Authorities struggled to save six survivors from the crash site near La Ceja, but one died later in hospital.
Police confirmed the shocking death toll after hours of mixed reports suggested there had been dozens of survivors on the flight, which was filled with players and coaches from top-teir side Chapecoense Real.
Treacherous weather conditions severely hampered the rescue operation as ambulances struggled to reach the remote crash site.
Alan Ruschel, a defender on loan to Chapecoense from Internacional,
He was taken to hospital with injuries as local emergency services braced for an influx of patients.
A snapchat video showing him with teammate and pal Danilo was posted online just before the crash.
Confirming his rescue, Ruchel's sister Alissen said on Twitter: "God is great and will look after you. Stay strong. You are a soldier."
Player Jakson Follmann, journalist Rafael Hansel, flight attendant Ximena Suarez and technician Erwin Timiri were also named as survivors.
There were 72 passengers and nine crew were on board flight LMI2933.
The Brazilian First Division team, who had been described by coach Caio Júnior as "Brazil's Leicester", was on its way to the final of the Copa Sudamericana in Colombia — a game tipped as the biggest in its history.
The club issued a statement shortly after the tragedy, saying: "May God accompany our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests travelling with our delegation."
Among the victims is Paulo Julio Clement, a Fox Sports presenter in Brazil and one of 21 journalists killed in the disaster.
Ambulance crews ferrying survivors to hospital were only able get to within 30 minutes walking distance of the remote crash site.
Rescuers had to stretcher the survivors on foot through thick fog.
They were then put into lorries and driven another 700 metres to waiting ambulances.
Some of the lorries were getting bogged down in mud making the panicked rescue even more difficult.
Hypothermia was another concern for emergency services rushing to rescue survivors from freezing temperatures of below 5°C.
RELATED STORIES
The plane — a British Aerospace 146 aircraft that was built in the UK — crashed at around 10:15pm local time in Cerro Gordo, La Union.
The same airline took the Argentina team with Lionel Messi on board for their last match in Brazil.
It was travelling to José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro, the second largest airport in Colombia.
A statement from the airport said the plane declared an emergency and "electrical failures" after leaving Bolivia, although a cause of the crash is yet to be established.
The 'hero' pilot is reported to have opened the fuel door as the plane crashed to prevent it from going up in flames.
However, a flight attendant has allegedly claimed the plane ran out of fuel, providing another avenue for investigators.
Who was on board Flight LMI2933?
THE pilots and cabin crew on board the plane were all Bolivian.
Most of the 72 passengers were Brazilian.
Around 40 were part of the Chapecoense delegation.
They included 20 players, the manager Caio Junior and four other members of his coaching team including an assistant manager, a personal trainer, a kinesiologist and a masseur who is said to be among the survivors.
The club’s president and vice-president were also on board along with other club managers.
Journalists covering the club were also on board.
The plane started its journey in Sao Paulo, Brazil at 3:35pm local time and made a stop in Santa Cruz de le Sierra, Bolivia, before heading on to Colombia.
Medellin's mayor Federico Gutierrez described the crash as "a tragedy of huge proportions".
A photo emerged showing the team huddling in front of the plane with beaming smiles as they boarded.
The team were also pictured sitting in the cabin shortly before take off, while a video shows players gathering at their departure gate.
It has not yet been become clear why the team changed flights at the last minute to board the doomed plane.
Chapecoense was headed to the Copa Sudamericana finals in Colombia.
They were due to compete against Atlético Nacional at 6:45pm local time on Wednesday at Atanasio Girardot stadium in Medellín.
The team were only about five minutes from their destination when they crashed.
Local radio said the team were due to stay at the four-star Hotel San Fernando, an elegant hotel near Medellin’s Botanical Garden.
South American football confederation CONMEBOL has suspended the tournament.
What do we know about the British Aerospace 146 plane?
The British Aerospace 146 plane that crashed on its approach to the airport in the Colombian city of Medellin made its first flight on March 1999.
Statistics from planespotters.net show that the regional plane has had several owners since.
From 1999 to 2007, it was owned by Mesaba Aviation in the U.S. before it was transferred.
The plane has been in the hands of Bolivian airline LAMIA since October 2013.
British Aerospace, which is now known as BAE Systems, says that the first 146 plane took off in 1981 and that just under 400 (including its successor Avro RJ) were built in total in the U.K through November 2003.
It says around 220 of are still in service in a variety of roles, including aerial firefighting and overnight freight services.
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online, where we will bring you live updates as soon as they happen, before anyone else.
Like us on Facebook at , and follow us from our main Twitter account at , where we will bring you this story and all the rest of the top news and exclusives of the day.
is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video