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.
La última foto del plantel de #Chapecoense antes de abordar rumbo a Medellín #Colombia pic.twitter.com/s1cqO4Km4l
— Angel Sotera (@angelsotera) November 29, 2016
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 Chapecoense players who didn’t travel with the team in their dressing room today. 🙏🏼😢⚽️🇧🇷 #ForçaChapecoence pic.twitter.com/6NBgV8klgn
— Football__Tweet (@Football__Tweet) November 29, 2016
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.