Grief turns to anger amid reports of lack of fuel in crash

The six survivors were recovering in hospitals, with three in critical but stable condition, while forensic specialists worked to identify the victims so they could be transferred to a waiting cargo plane sent by the Brazilian air force to repatriate the bodies.

The tragedy plunged Latin America’s largest nation, Brazil, into mourning as it reels from a deep recession and political crisis. Members of the soccer team and a group of journalists who perished on a flight Monday were headed to the Copa Sudamericana finals when the plane ran out of fuel, crashing into the Andes outside Medellin.

The evidence so far suggests the plane ran out of fuel, lost electrical power, and was preparing for an emergency landing before it crashed.

Per worldwide air safety regulations, a plane must carry enough fuel to be able to fly an additional 30 minutes upon landing at its destination.

The recording, obtained by Colombian media, appeared to confirm the accounts of a surviving flight attendant and a pilot flying nearby who overheard the frantic exchange.

Lamia’s operational license was suspended and an investigation launched into its owners, Public Works Minister Milton Claros said at a press conference.

Morales said Friday that he backed the investigation and called for “drastic measures” against aviation officials who signed off on the flight.

A Colombian civil aviation document seen by Reuters confirmed the flight time was set to be 4 hours and 22 minutes.

He also said he can not blame the air traffic controller for making the pilot wait because the controller didn’t know the full extent of how low the plane was on fuel. Details on the length of the wait and problems with the other flight were not immediately available.

Vectors is the term for the navigation service provided to planes by air traffic control.

In her email, Molina thanked colleagues for their support.

A haunting video meanwhile emerged of the moment rescuers found Bolivian crew member Erwin Tumiri.

“I chose to be here at the stadium because at least I feel closer to him”, she said.

Only 0.5% of accidents on record were blamed on low fuel, according to the US-based Flight Safety Foundation.

They will be transported to the city of Chapeco in southern Brazil, the home of the soccer team. Gianni Infantino, president of world soccer governing body Federation Internationale de Football Association, will also attend the ceremony to pay tributes to the team that died in the unfortunate crash just ahead of playing the coveted Copa Sudamericana final.

At a vigil late Wednesday, thousands of soccer fans jammed the stands of the 40,000-seat stadium where Brazil’s Chapecoense team had been scheduled to play Medellin’s Atletico Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana finals. “But we have to go forward and overcome”, João Lima, a Chapecoense youth player told The Guardian.

Colombian officials say the plane’s “black boxes”, which record flight details, will be sent to the United Kingdom to be opened by investigators.

Mourners have been lining the streets of Chapeco, in Brazil’s south, where numerous 64 Brazilians killed in the plane crash are based. The agency allegedly urged LaMia Airlines to present contingency routes for the flight, bit was reportedly ignored.

Chapecoense spokesman Andrei Copetti defended the decision, saying more than 30 teams had used the LaMia airlines, including the national teams of Argentina and Bolivia.