"Six people were rescued alive, but [later] unfortunately one died; the rest of the passengers unfortunately died. The tragic toll is 76 victims," General Jose Gerardo Acevedo said.
An aircraft carrying 72 passengers including the members of the Brazilian Chapecoense Real football team and nine crew members crashed on Tuesday after disappearing in the Colombian airspace, the Jose Maria Cordova International Airport in Rionegro said in a statement, adding that there may be survivors.
Rescuers do not expect to find any more survivors in the area, Jose Acevedo Ossa said.
"The rescue operation is not suspended, we are at the site, but we rule out the possibility of finding more survivors," he said.
The passengers of the aircraft that crashed after disappearing in Colombian airspace included members of the Brazilian Chapecoense Real football team.
Last photos of Chapecoense football players before plane crash in Colombia
— Leo Messi (@messi10stats) 29 ноября 2016 г.
😭😭😓😢 pic.twitter.com/FJ5jKVPb0o
According to media reports, the football team was on the way to participate in the South American Cup final against Atletico Nacional in a game set for Wednesday. The game was suspended due to the accident.
