76 people dead as plane carrying football team crashes

Columbian authorities have confirmed that the crashed plane was carrying members of the Chapecoense Real football team.

A plane carrying members of Brazil's Chapecoense Real football team crashed late Monday near the Colombian city of Medellin, leaving 76 dead and only five survivors.

"Confirmed, the aircraft license number CP2933 was carrying the team @ChapecoenseReal. Apparently there are survivors," the Jose Maria Cordova de Rionegro airport, which serves Medellin, said on its Twitter account.

According to a statement from aviation authorities, the plane was carrying 72 passengers and nine crew members.

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The five survivors of the crash are team players Alan Ruschel, Jackson Follmann and Danilo, as well as Rafael Gobbato, ajournalist, and crew member, Ximena Suarez.

The plane – a British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane – is believed to have started its journey in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at 3.35pm in the afternoon local time, the Guardian reports. It made a stop in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a bustling economic hub in eastern Bolivia, later that day before setting off for Colombia.

The Brazilian football team recently got promoted to Brazil's first division in 2014 and made it to the Copa Sudamericana finals last week by defeating Argentina's San Lorenzo.

The football team was scheduled to play Copa Sudamericafinals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in Medellin.