Avión del Chapecoense se estrella en Colombia 28.11.2016 HD
This haunting picture shows three members of the Chapecoense football team sitting in the club"s empty changing room after learning the plane carrying their teammates had crashed.
The Brazilian football team had been travelling to Colombia to play Athletico Nacional for the biggest game in the club"s history, the Copa Sudamerica final.
But their journey to the Colombian city of Medellin came to a devastating end when the jet crashed down in remote mountains.
The Avro RJ85 plane, which was carrying nine crew, crashed at about 10.15pm after suffering "electric failures" while flying through the mountainous Antioquia Department on its way from Bolivia.
Local officials said it crashed against a hill and broke in two.
The heartbreaking images of the non-travelling players came just days after the players were filmed celebrating wildly in the same room as they reached the final of the Copa Sudamericana.
This heartbreaking picture showed players who were not travelling with the team sitting in the empty club changing room
United for the last time, this is the Brazilian football team posing together in front of a passenger jet before their doomed flight crashed in Colombia, killing 71 on board
The plane carrying 76 people crashed in Colombia - only five people survived
Rescue bid: Pictures from the scene show the crumpled remains of the aircraft after it crashed down in Colombia
One of the players who did not make the journey wasAlejandro Martinuccio, who was nursing an injury.
The 28-year-old, who also played for Villarreal in Spain, told Argentina"s La Red radio: "I was saved because I got injured. I feel profound sadness. The only thing I can ask is prayers for the companions who were on the flight."
The other eight players who did not travel have been named locally as Nenm, Demerson, Marcelo Boeck, Andrei, Hyoran, Nivaldo, Moiss and Rafael Lima.
Meanwhile, Matheus Saroli, son of Chapecoense"s coach Caio Junior, who died in the crash, revealed how he didn"t board the flight as he had forgotten his passport.
The team, from the small city of Chapeco, was in the middle of a fairy tale season.
It joined Brazil"s first division in 2014 for the first time since the 1970s and made it last week to the Copa Sudamericana finals - the equivalent of the UEFA Europa League tournament - after defeating Argentina"s San Lorenzo.
Chapecoense issued a brief statement saying: "May G*d be with our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests travelling with our delegation."
Later the team"s vice-president, Ivan Tozzo, told cable channal SporTV: "There are a lot of people crying in our city. We could never imagine this. Chapecoense is the biggest reason for joy here."
There are reports the team had to change their flight and board the doomed aircraft after Brazilian aviation authorities prevented them from taking a charter plane.
The Chapecoense football team are pictured here on a plane.The footballers had to change their flight and board the plane that crashed after Brazilian aviation authorities prevented them from taking a charter flight, it has been claimed
Medical staff from the San Juan de Dios hospital transfer 27-year-old Brazilian footballer Alan Ruschel after he was pulled alive from the wreckage of the crash
The pilots and cabin crew on board the plane that crashed were all Bolivian while most of the passengers were Brazilian and about 40 were part of the Chapecoense delegation.
They included 20 players, the manager Caio Junior and four other members of his coaching team including an assistant manager, a personal trainer, a kinesiologist and a masseur.
The club"s president and vice-president were also on board along with other club managers. The team were only about five minutes from their destination when they crashed.
Chapecoense defender Alan Ruschel survived, as did Jakson Follman and Zampier Neto.
Two crew members Ximena Surez and Erwin Tumiri and journalist Rafael Valmorbida, also survived according to Colombia"s civil aviaiton authorities.
The team"s goalkeeper Danilo was initally reported to have survived the crash but died from his injuries, according to reports.
Danilo"s last-minute save in the semi-final had ensured the team made it through to the Copa Sudamericana final.
Globo Esporte, a Brazilian sports website, reported that one of the dead players, Thiaguinho, found out he was to be a father for the first time just one week before the crash.
Images from the site reveal the mangled wreckage of the plane and what appears to be a muddied outfit with the emblem of theChapecoense football team
The plane was flying from Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and should have landed at Jose Maria Cordova in Colombia
A post on the Instagram account of player Filipe Machado showed a picture of an aircraft and a message saying: "Already in Bolivia, now we"re going direct to Medellin, Colombia"
The British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane, operated by charter airline LaMia, declared an emergency at 10pm local time on Monday because of an electrical failure
Chapecoense were set to play Colombian team Atletico Nacional in the South American club tournament"s final on Wednesday, with the return fixture in Brazil on December 7.
It was the first time the small club from Chapeco had ever reached the final of a major South American club competition but they were underdogs against a club going for a rare double after winning the Copa Libertadores in July.
Chapecoense reached Brazil"s first division in 2014 and were in ninth place ahead of this weekend"s last round of games.
On its way to the continental final, the team known as Chape beat major clubs such as Argentina"s San Lorenzo and Independiente.
Officials opened the club"s stadium at Chapeco in the state of Santa Caterina in Brazil"s south to console the grieving families and fans.
"We"re all here at the stadium to help the people connected," said Mr Tozzo.
"It hasn"t really sunk in yet. We have to trust in G*d. Our team must carry on," he said.
Chapecoense is based in Chapeco, a city of about 200,000 that is known for its poultry industry and is about 800 miles south of Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil"s president, Michel Temer, has declared three days of national mourning following the crash.
HOW CHAPECOENSE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FAIRY TALE SEASONWhy were Chapecoense heading to Colombia?
Chapecoense were due to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday, which is South America"s secondary club competition - an equivalent to the Europa League in Europe.
They were going to face Colombian side Atletico Nacional in the first match of the two-legged final. A video was uploaded by the club to social media showing the players heading on to the flight.
Chapecoense edged Argentinian side San Lorenzo 1-1 on away goals in the semi-final to become the first Brazilian club to reach a major final in South America since 2013.
After the victory, they were described as "an unglamorous but growing club" by ESPN.
When were Chapecoense formed?
Chapecoense are a relatively young club, formed in 1973 in the city of Chapeco, in south Brazil.
Their stadium, Arena Conda in Santa Catarina, holds 22,600.
Chapecoense would have had to have played the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana final at an alternative venue because CONMEBOL, South America"s equivalent to UEFA, state the final must be played at a venue holding at least 40,000 spectators.
They are managed by Caio Junior, who has played and coached extensively across Brazil.
The team joined Brazil"s first division in 2014 for the first time since the 1970s and made it last week to the Copa Sudamericana finals - the equivalent of the UEFA Europa League tournament - after defeating Argentina"s San Lorenzo
How long have they been in Brazil"s top division, Serie A?
They have competed in the first division for three seasons, having made the top tier in 2014.
As recently as 2009, they were in the fourth tier of Brazilian football and their run to a continental final this season was rightly heralded as a significant achievement.
Who are their most notable players?
Ananias, who is on loan at the club from Cruzeiro, netted the decisive away goal against San Lorenzo that got them to the final.
Another loanee at the club is 21-year-old defensive midfielder Matheus Biteco, from German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.
Goalkeeper Marcelo Boeck spent five years at Sporting Lisbon from 2011-2016, where he was a team-mate of current Leicester striker Islam Slimani.
Boeck reportedly got in trouble with Slimani after they won the Potruguese Super Cup in August 2015 and spraying him with champagne. As a Muslim, Slimani is not allowed to touch alcohol.
What is the reaction to the tragedy in South America?
Chapecoense said on the club"s Facebook page it "reserves the right to wait for the official announcement of the Colombian air authority to issue any official statement about the accident. G*d be with our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests who are with the delegation."
Atletico Nacional said it "deeply regrets and sympathizes with @chapecoensereal on the accident and expects information from authorities."
CONMEBOL has suspended all activities until further notice.
HOW CRASH HAS ECHOES OF 1958 MUNICH AIR DISASTEROn 6 February 1958 British European Airways flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport, West Germany.
On the plane was the Manchester United team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes", along with supporters and journalists.Sir Bobby Charlton and Matt Busby survived.
Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam "Billy" Whelan all died. Duncan Edwards survived the crash, but died in hospital 15 days later.
On 6 February 1958 British European Airways flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport, West Germany
The squad were returning from a European game in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) when they stopped to refuel in Germany.
In total 20 of the 44 on the aircraft died. The injured, some unconscious, were taken to the Rechts der Isar Hospital in Munich where three more died, resulting in 23 fatalities with 21 survivors.
The pilot James Thain was blamed for the crash but it was later established that slush on the runway caused the accident.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3982052/Heartbreak-locker-room-Anguished-Chapecoense-players-not-board-doomed-flight-Brazilian-team-mates-react-shock-learn-Colombian-plane-tragedy.html
