Tuesday started with tragic news of a plane carrying players of Brazilian football club, Chapecoense, crashing in Colombia. It was later confirmed that 76 of the 82 onboard the British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane lost their lives. Of the 6 survivors on the flight, only 3 were from the football team that was due to play Medellin’s Atletico Nacional on Wednesday, 30th November. The rest did not survive.
As luck would have it, there were a few other players who did not take the trip. It is hard to imagine what they must be going through right now:
The match was the first leg of the finals of the Copa Sudamerica (South American Club Cup) that the team had qualified for by winning the semifinal just 5 days ago. A victory that they celebrated with extreme joy and fervour. Watching this video is just heartbreaking. They were on the road to glory, happy and smiling, unaware of what lay ahead:
Chapecoense players celebrating reaching the Copa Sudamericana final just 5 days ago. Heartbreaking. 😪💔 pic.twitter.com/yAgkyN6EY8
— Football__Tweet (@Football__Tweet) November 29, 2016
Our thoughts and prayers are with the team & their families. May those who lost their lives rest in peace.