Colombia Charter Crash Kills 76 (Updated)

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image: Telemedellin

A charter aircraft carrying 72 passengers, including members of a Brazilian soccer team, and nine crew, crashed in Cerro Gordo, Columbia, late Monday. Early news reports indicate that 75 people were killed and six survived, but one of those rescued later died.The survivors included three soccer players, two crew members and a journalist, according to CNN. The Avro RJ85 was en route from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to Medellin, a flight of about 1,800 miles, when it crashed near Rionegro, Colombia, about 18 miles from its destination airport. Tuesday morning, the head of Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority reportedly said there was “no evidence of fuel” in the aircraft wreckage. According to NBCNews, the RJ85’s range is about 1,842 miles when equipped with standard fuel tanks.

Cerro Gordo is in a rugged mountainous area northeast of Medellin. Although there appeared to be rain showers in the area at the time of the crash, it’s not known if weather was a factor. News reports say the aircraft had been issued priority to land. According to USA Today, the crew had reported electrical problems with the plane. Controllers lost contact with the crew around midnight local time.

The British Aerospace Avro RJ85 is a four-engine jet. The accident aircraft was built in 1989. The Chapecoense Real soccer team was headed to Medellin to play in the Copa Americana tournament.

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