Footage taken moments before a plane carrying 81 people, including top Brazilian football team Chapecoense, crashed killing at least 76 people has emerged.
Two players for the Brazilian team, defender Alan Ruschel and goalkeeper Danilo Padilha, can be seen smiling as they announce: “In not long, we’ll be arriving in Colombia. We’re coming Colombia.”
Other passengers behind them can be seen relaxing and sleeping.
Flight CP-2933, which was carrying 22 players from Chapecoense, declared an emergency at 10pm on Monday (3am Tuesday GMT), reports the BBC.
The plane was given priority to land but didn’t make the airport, according to Alfredo Bocanegra, the head of Colombia’s civil aviation authority. It lost contact with ground controllers around midnight and reportedly attempted a forced landing, eventually crashing in Cerro Gordo.
According to Colombia’s Caracol Radio, there were also eight Chapacoense executives, three guests of the club and 21 journalists on the flight.
Colombia’s civil aviation authority has given the names of six survivors.
Earlier, police said one of the six survivors died in hospital, but this is not mentioned in the civil aviation authority’s report. It says two crew members, Ximena Suárez, a flight attendant, and Erwin Tumiri, a flight technician, have been taken to the Somer clinic in Rionegro.
Three players – Alan Luciano Ruschel, goalkeepers Jackson Ragnar Follmann and Marcos Danilo Padilha – are also in hospital, the update says.
All five were being treated at hospitals near the crash site.
Aerocivil publica el listado de pasajeros sobrevivientes del vuelo de Lamia CP 2933 accidentando en Antioquia
…Posted by Aerocivil-Col on Tuesday, November 29, 2016
There are unconfirmed reports that the team’s goalkeeper Danilo died in hospital after surviving the crash.
He was listed as one of six survivors by the Colombia’s civil aviation authority, but earlier police said one of the survivors died in hospital.
Ruschel – who suffered a broken hip and head injuries – was heard asking medics to look after his wedding ring as he arrived at hospital, the Mirror reports.
Colombian paper El Tiempo are also reporting that Helio Zampier Neto may have survived the plane crash.
A Reuters photographer at the scene has said dozens of bodies were laid out and covered with sheets around the wreckage as rescuers, police and military personnel searched the crash site.
He said the aircraft had split in two with only the nose and wings recognisable and the tail end completely destroyed, the Guardian reports.
Some reports claimed that the plane failed to make it to the runway because of fuel shortage, however according to the BBC, an airport press release said the aircraft was reporting an electrical fault to the control tower.
The pilot is said to have opened a fuel door to release fuel and prevent a huge explosion.
Three Chapecoense players who did not travel to Colombia have since been pictured in a state of shock in the club’s changing room.
Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by this tragic accident.
