76 Killed in Crash of Plane Carrying Brazilian Soccer Team

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At least 71 people were killed when a plane carrying members of a Brazilian soccer team crashed late Monday near Medellin, Colombia. The death toll was lowered from earlier reports of at least 76.

Among the six survivors on the plane were three members of the Chapecoense soccer team, at least two of them with substantial injuries; a journalist, and two members of the flight crew.

Brazilian goalkeeper Marcos Danilo Padilha initially survived the crash, but "died while being transferred" to a hospital, officials said.

Doctors had to amputate the leg of reserve goalkeeper Jackson Follman, while defender Helio Neto suffered cranial injuries. Defender Alan Ruschel was the other survivor. A doctor said he underwent surgery and then was transferred to another hospital for further examination.

The plane, owned by the small Venezuelan airline LaMia, had left Bolivia for Medellin, where the team was to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana tournament.
Rescue efforts were hindered by difficulty reaching the mountainous crash site and low visibility.

Alfredo Bocanegra, head of Columbia's civil aviation agency, said authorities could not rule out the possibility that the plane ran out of fuel before it crashed, but the main focus of the investigation was on a possible electrical failure.