A plane carrying 81 people, including the squad of a top-flight Brazilian football team, has crashed in mountains outside the Colombian city of Medellin.
The plane was on its way to the city's international airport from Bolivia when it crashed amid poor weather conditions, and the country's civil aviation authority said ambulances and emergency workers had since arrived at the scene.
The crash occurred shortly after 10pm local time (3am GMT) on Monday night. It is believed the pilots reported an electrical fault to the control tower.
Local reports said there were at least six survivors. Authorities confirmed the plane was a chartered flight carrying the team of Chapecoense Real for the final of a regional tournament.
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"May God accompany our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests traveling with our delegation," the club said in a brief statement, adding it would not comment further until the extent of the crash became clearer.
"Confirmed, the aircraft license number CP2933 was carrying the team @ChapecoenseReal. Apparently there are survivors," the Jose Maria Cordova de Rionegro airport, which serves Medellin, said on its Twitter account.
Flight CP2933 departed Bolivia's Santa Cruz airport at 6.18pm Bolivia time (10.18pm GMT), according to flight tracking websites. It had 72 passengers on board and nine crew members.
Blue Radio reported that a male passenger had arrived in an ambulance to a hospital near Medellin. It said the passenger arrived on a stretcher with an oxygen mask and covered in a blanket. He appeared to be alive.
And unconfirmed reports identified two survivors as Chapecoense players Alan Ruschel and Danilo.
Airport authorities in Medellin said on Twitter that poor weather made the crash site only accessible by road, and in the early hours of Tuesday they said the rescue effort had been suspended "because of heavy rain in the accident area".
Medellin's Mayor Federico Gutierrez also said it is possible there are survivors.
"It's a tragedy of huge proportions," Gutierrez told Blu Radio on his way to the site.
Chapecoense is a team from southern Brazil, currently ranked 9th in the Brasileiro top division, and was scheduled to play the Copa Sudamerica finals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in Medellin.
Conmebol, the South American Football Confederation, issued a statement saying it “greatly regrets what happened” and that “all activities of the Confederation are suspended until further notice.” The confederation’s President, Alejandro Domínguez, was en route to Medellín.
The aircraft was an Avro RJ85, built in 1999 and previously owned by CityJet of Dublin. The model has a good safety record. It had reportedly carried the Argentinian national football team earlier this month.
