Colombian authorities on Tuesday said three footballers from Brazil’s Chapecoense soccer team, survived a plane crash that killed 76 people.
Players Alan Luciano Ruschel, Marcos Danilo Padilha and Jacson Ragnar Follmann were listed as survivors in a statement from the disaster management agency.
The disaster management agency said that passengers Rafael Correa Gobbato and Ximena Suarez also survived.
The agency added that all five were being treated at hospitals near the crash site. Plane carrying Brazilian football team crashes in Colombia
The crash site is in a mountainous area outside the Colombian city of Medellin, the destination of the chartered plane as the Brazilian football team is expected to take part in a Wednesday game.
Reports say authorities and rescuers were immediately activated but poor weather conditions made the crash site only accessible only by road.
The South American soccer federation cancelled all activities until further notice as a result of the crash.
The Chapecoense team had been due to face Atletico Nacional of Medellin in the first leg of Wednesday’s Sudamericana final, South America’s equivalent of the Europa League.
It was the first time the small club from Chapeco had ever reached the final of a major South American club competition.
However, they were underdogs against a club going for a rare double after winning the Copa Libertadores in July.
According to an annual rich list compiled by Brazilian bank Itau BBA, Chapecoense is the 21st biggest club in Brazil in terms of revenue, bringing in 46 million reais (13.5 million dollar) in 2015. (Reuters/NAN)