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Hunt begins for cause of Colombia crash as tributes flow for Chapecoense players

Fans pay tribute to the fallen Chapecoense players.

Fans pay tribute to the fallen Chapecoense players. Photo: Getty

In the aftermath of the tragic Colombian plane crash that wiped out virtually an entire Brazilian soccer team, officials are sifting through wreckage – and a growing number of theories – as they work to discover why the flight went down.

Despite initial reports citing an electrical failure, authorities are refusing to rule out the possibility the plane ran out of fuel minutes before it crashed – a story put forward by a surviving flight attendant.

The chartered flight killed all but six of the 77 passengers and crew on board, including more than 20 print and broadcast journalists following the team, when it crashed into mountainous terrain close to Medellin’s Jose Maria Cordova airport on Monday night local time.

There have also been calls to investigate whether the small plane was actually designed to fly the roughly 3000km distance between Santa Cruz and Medellin.

colombia plane crash

The mangled wreckage of the LAMIA airlines charter plane. Photo: Getty

“I would be concerned that the pilots were cutting it too close”, US aviation consultant Hans Weber told AP.

Mr Weber said a plane’s maximum kilometre range was calculated in a straight line, and if the pilot was steering around turbulence they might have been caught short.

On Wednesday, investigators said the British Aerospace 146’s black box and flight records had been retrieved from the crash site, and were being examined.

Three days of mourning was declared in Brazil after news of the tragedy broke.

 The heartbreaking stories

Among the many moving videos and pictures that emerged following the tragedy was one of Tiago da Rocha Vieira, also known as Thiaguinho, learning he was about to becoming a father.

The video was shot just last week and shows the 22-year-old – one of the victims of the air disaster – jumping around and celebrating with his teammates.

A story widely reported by global media outlets surrounded goalkeeper Danilo, who was found alive after the crash.

He is said to have called his wife from a hospital bed, only to die shortly after.

Images of distraught Chapecoense players who were not on the flight emerged online and Alejandro Martinuccio, who is injured and was not on the plane, said he could not believe what had happened.

“We are all at the club, we cannot believe it,” he is quoted on Marca as telling Radio La Red.

“We are waiting on news. I have survived as I was injured.

“I feel a deep sadness for my teammates. The only thing I can say is to pray for them.”

Of the players traveling to play against Nacional in the finals of the Copa Sudamericana, only three survived: backup goalie Jackson Follmann, Alan Ruschel and Helio Neto, who was discovered amid plane debris hours after the crash.

In a statement, Atletico Nacional asked the South American football federation Conmebol to award the Brazilian team the continental trophy.

“From our point of view, and forever, Chapecoense will be champion of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana,” the Colombian club said.

The tributes

As fans of the club were in still shock after the tragedy, they visited the club’s stadium to pray together in moving scenes.

https://twitter.com/FootyMemes/status/803625520004993024

Brazilian football legend Pele led the online tributes and said the nation was “in mourning” on Twitter.

Five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi posted on his Facebook page: “My deepest condolences go to all of the families, friends and supporters of the Associacao Chapecoense de Futebol squad.”

Earlier in November, the same plane reportedly took Messi and his Argentina teammates from Brazil to Colombia during World Cup qualifiers.

Closer to home, minute’s silence was held before Wednesday night’s FFA Cup final between Melbourne City and Sydney FC at AAMI Park. City won the match 1-0 thanks to a Tim Cahill header.

Players from both sides also wore black armbands to remember those who lost their lives.

Earlier in the day, Football Federation Australia chairman Steven Lowy said: “FFA, on behalf of the football community in Australia, extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who have died in the plane clash in Colombia and the wider football community in South America.

“Our sympathies are extended to the Chapecoense de Brasil football club in particular, whose players and staff have been tragically lost on the eve of an historic cup final.”

-with agencies

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