Colombia plane crash: 75 dead on Brazil soccer team's charter flight

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Outside a stadium in Brazil, fans who thought they'd be cheering for their favorite soccer team came to mourn.

These were the somber images Tuesday morning after a deadly plane crash outside Medellin, Colombia.

The Avro RJ85 was en route Monday night from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to Medellin when it crashed near Rionegro, Colombia, with 72 passengers and nine crew members on board, civil aviation officials said.

These were the somber images Tuesday morning after a deadly plane crash outside Medellin, Colombia.

At least 75 people were killed, officials said. Six people survived. Players, coaches and invited guests from Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team were on board the charter flight. So were more than 20 journalists on the way to cover what was supposed to be a heartwarming chapter in a Cinderella story for a team of unlikely champions.

The soccer club, which has risen the ranks in Brazilian soccer and now has a devoted national fan base, was set to play in the first leg of the South American Cup finals Wednesday.

Now authorities are investigating what caused the crash, searching the remote site for victims, survivors and evidence.

Rescuers search the wreckage of the charter plane Tuesday in mountains outside Medellin, Columbia.

'We are praying for everyone'

At least three soccer players, two crew members and one journalist survived, authorities said.

Among them: defender Alan Luciano Ruschel.

In an Instagram post, Ruschel's wife said he was hospitalized in stable condition.

"We are praying for everyone who has not yet been rescued, and for their families," Amanda Ruschel wrote. "It is a complicated and difficult situation. Only God can give us strength."

What happened?

The charter flight took off from Bolivia's Viru Viru International Airport at 6:18 p.m. local time, according to air controller Manuel Palamas. Medical staff members wait for survivors of the plane crash Tuesday at a hospital near Medellin.

Medical staff members wait for survivors of the plane crash Tuesday at a hospital near Medellin.

The plane declared an emergency between the municipalities of La Ceja and La Union, according to Colombian aviation officials. The crash occurred in an area called Cerro El Gordo near Medellin, officials said.

Images of the crash show what appear to be damaged parts of the plane.

Tattered debris emblazoned with the Chapecoense club's logo was photographed at the crash site. A logo of Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense is found at the site of the plane crash.

A logo of Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense is found at the site of the plane crash.

Weather and wind

Satellite images show that scattered showers and thunderstorms had moved across the region over the last 12 hours -- though no big storms were nearby, according to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.

There likely would have been turbulence in the region due to intermittent thunderstorms and winds from around the mountains in the region, Guy said.

A statement from nearby Jose Maria Cordova airport said the accident site could only be accessed by land because of weather conditions.

The Colombian air force had to abort a mission to the accident site due to inclement weather, according to Colombian officials.

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