Six Survive Colombian Plane Crash That Killed 71

Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(MEDELLIN, Colombia) — A horrific plane crash in Colombia left 71 people dead Monday night, including members of a professional Brazilian soccer team. But police said six people survived the crash in the mountains outside Medellin — three soccer players, two crew members and a journalist.

Four people who were scheduled to board the plane decided at the last minute to not travel, according to regional police. Authorities initially believed that 81 people were on board due to the passengers who did not fly.

Flight attendant Ximena Suárez is stable condition, while flight technician Erwin Tumiri suffered non life-threatening injuries, according to Colombian hospital Clinica Somer.

Soccer player Alan Luciano Ruschel, of the team Chapecoense, is currently receiving care at the ICU, according to Clinica Somer, while goalie Jackson Ragnar Follmann is being attended to by trauma teams and specialists, according to Colombia hospital San Vicente Fundacion.

The third surviving player, Helio Zampier, is in stable condition in the ICU after undergoing four different procedures, including a 3 1/2-hour surgery, said Guillermo Molina Mesa, director of La Clinica San Juan de Dios de La Ceja.

Journalist Rafael Valmorbida is in stable condition in the ICU after undergoing surgery. He is on a ventilator, Mesa said.

A total of 71 bodies have been recovered from the scene, the Transportation Ministry confirmed to ABC News. Most of the bodies were found in the fuselage and the rest were located in the area were the six survivors were found, according to Aeronáutica Civil, Colombia’s civil aviation authority. The recovered remains are being transferred to an air force base.

Both black boxes have been recovered and are in the hands of investigators, the Colombian Transportation Ministry confirmed to ABC News.

A number of journalists died in the crash, including six employees of Fox Sports Brazil and three Globo employees, the companies said today.

The plane, a charter flight operated by LaMia airline, was due to arrive in Medellin from Bolivia. According to the Jose Maria Cordova International Airport’s official Twitter account, the plane suffered an electrical failure before the crash.

The team was due to play against Medellin’s Atletico Nacional in the finals of the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday, local media reported.

Aerocivil, Colombia’s civil aviation authority, confirmed the accident and said the first steps of an official investigation have begun.

 

Alfredo Bocanegra, Director @AerocivilCol lidera el PMU instalado en Rionegro por accidente de aeronave en Antioquia. pic.twitter.com/4dwoxuCRiq

— AERONÁUTICA CIVIL (@AerocivilCol) November 29, 2016

 

The accident took place near the town of La Unión, in the mountainous department of Antioquia.

Aerocivil published a list of the names of passengers and crew on board the plane to its Twitter account.

 

Aerocivil publica el listado de pasajeros del vuelo de Lamia CP 2933 que transportaba delegación deportiva https://t.co/kHymbYbYai pic.twitter.com/3kXwEvV0B0

— AERONÁUTICA CIVIL (@AerocivilCol) November 29, 2016

 

The South American Football Confederation said in a statement that it “greatly regrets” the accident and added that all of its activities will be suspended until further notice.

Airport officials say that the accident site can only be accessed by ground transportation because of the weather conditions.

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