A charter plane carrying 81 people has crashed in Cerro Gordo, Colombia.
Up to 75 people are feared to have died, according to a Medellin police official.
The plane, which was carrying 22 players from the Brazilian football club Chapecoense, lost contact with ground controllers around midnight and reportedly attempted a forced landing, the Guardian reports.
The plane was en route from Bolivia to Medellin airport in Colombia, where the team was due to play in the Copa Americana.
AFP reports five people have reportedly survived, including player Alan Ruschel, who is in hospital. Twenty-one sports journalists were also believed to be onboard.
According to Colombia’s Caracol Radio, there were also eight Chapacoense executives and three guests of the club on the flight.
There are reports that Danilo, the team’s 31-year-old goalkeeper, is among the survivors.
Tweets by sports journalists confirm that at least three players have been taken to hospital, including goalkeeper Jackson Follmann.
An estimated 90 emergency services workers are now at the crash site, however bad weather is hampering rescue efforts.
The mayor of Medellin said the crash was ‘a tragedy of huge proportions.’
Aviation authorities said the aircraft, a British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane operated by a Bolivian charter airline, declared an emergency at 10pm on Monday (3am GMT).
A Colombian news website has published the first confirmed pictures of the rescue operation, showing dozens of rescue workers hillside in darkness.
The team was due to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana, against Medellin team Atletico Nacional. The first leg of the final was scheduled for Wednesday, but has now been suspended, the BBC reports.
Football teams across Brazil have been sending out their prayers to the Chapecoense club.
Our thoughts go out to everyone on board the plane and their families.
