Soccer players and teams from across the world pay tribute to Chapecoense

A plane carrying 81 people, including members of a Brazilian football team, crashed late on November 28, 2016 near the Colombian city of Medellin, officials said.

Medellin’s Mayor Federico Gutierrez described it as “a tragedy of huge proportions”, but added it was possible there were survivors. It was headed to Colombia’s global airport.

Six people survived the crash, according to Caracol news of Colombia.

Five passengers miraculously survived, including three players from Chapecoense, according to officials.

The journalists, all men, included cameramen, photographers, commentators and reporters from radio stations in Brazil as well as larger media outlets such as Fox and Globo, a large Brazilian conglomerate.

Argentine winger Alejandro Martinuccio is carrying an injury that ruled him out of the fixture but likely saved his life.

The plane is believed to have crashed due to an electrical failure.

Another former star, Robinho, said: “Feeling very sad for the friends of Chapecoense and the press!” “The only thing I can ask is prayers for the companions who were on the flight”. The Planalto Palace in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, was lighted up in the team’s green color in a sign of solidarity. “They’ve only been in the top division in Brazil for the last couple of years, and they’ve reached the Copa Sudamericana final”, author Keir Radnedge of World Soccer magazine told CNN.

“The hours since we heard of the news have been awful”. All our board is there, our players. “Chapecoense is the biggest reason for joy here”.

Brazil and Barcelona star Neymar and Spanish club Atletico Madrid, which counts former player Cleber Santana as one of the passengers, sent their condolences.

“This is a tragic day for football”.

A week ago, Chapecoense striker Tiaguinho was jumping for joy after finding out that he was going to be a father for the first time.

Reports say seven people were pulled alive from the plane but two have since died including the team’s goalkeeper.

LaMia’s website, which is no longer online, said it operated three 146 Avro short-haul jets made by British Aerospace and with a maximum range of around 2,965 kilometers (1,600 nautical miles) – about the same as the distance between Santa Cruz and Medellin, the route it was flying when it went down.

South American Football Confederation Conmebol suspended “all confederation events until further notice”.

The British Aerospace 146 plane operated by LAMIA Bolivia, registration CP-2933 carried Argentina safely to Brazil on November 11.

They say soccer player Alan Ruschel appears to be in the most delicate condition.

The team’s goalkeeper Marcos Danilo Padilha, 31, died on the way to hospital, the civil aviation authority said.