Chapecoense Real: Plane carrying football team crashes; God Help us

Columbian authorities have confirmed that the crashed plane was carrying members of the Chapecoense Real football team.

Chapecoense Real: Plane carrying football team crashes; God Help us

A plane carrying members of Brazil's Chapecoense Real football team crashed late Monday near the Colombian city of Medellin, officials said.

"Confirmed, the aircraft license number CP2933 was carrying the team @ChapecoenseReal. Apparently there are survivors," the Jose Maria Cordova de Rionegro airport, which serves Medellin, said on its Twitter account.

According to the UK Guardian, the plane was carrying more than 70 people.

Medellin international airport has confirmed that the charter aircraft was involved in a serious emergency on its way to the city.

It is not yet known whether there have been any casualties.

The football team was scheduled to play Copa Sudamerica finals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in Medellin.

The plane – a British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane – is believed to have started its journey in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at 3.35pm in the afternoon local time, the Guardian reports. It made a stop in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a bustling economic hub in eastern Bolivia, later that day before setting off for Colombia.