Photo: AFP
Reports say seven people were pulled alive from the plane but two have since died including the team’s goalkeeper.
The chartered aircraft, flying from Brazil via Bolivia, was carrying members of the Chapecoense team.
The team had been due to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana, against Medellin team Atletico Nacional.
The first leg of the final of the cup, South America’s second most important club competition, was scheduled for Wednesday but has now been suspended.
The match was seen as the biggest in the history of the relatively small club, which entered Brazil’s top division for the first time in 2014.
Brazilian President Michel Temer announced three days of national mourning, and top Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona held a minute’s silence at the beginning of their practise sessions.
Shortly before boarding in Sao Paulo, Chapecoense manager Cadu Gaucho, 36, appeared in a video posted on the team’s Facebook site [in Portuguese] describing the trip to Medellin as “the club’s most important to date”. Brazilian football club in air disaster
Playing in the final of the Copa Sudamericana was to be the highlight of a glorious season for the team from the small city of Santa Catarina, which has fewer than 200,000 inhabitants.
Founded in 1974, the team has only been playing in Brazil’s Serie A since 2014 but is currently ranked ninth ahead of much more famous and established teams such as Sao Paulo, Fluminense and Cruzeiro.
One of the founders of the club, Alvadir Pelisser, told BBC Brasil the tragedy had put an “end to everyone’s dream”. “We were a family, I’m shocked,” he added.
The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) said it was suspending “all activities”.
Chapecoense issued a brief statement saying: “May God be with our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests travelling with our delegation.”
It said it would refrain from any further statements until it had assessed the extent of the crash.
Later the team’s vice-president, Ivan Tozzo, told cable channal SporTV: “There are a lot of people crying in our city. We could never imagine this. Chapecoense is the biggest reason for joy here.”
At least two of the survivors are footballers. They were confirmed to be defender Alan Ruschel and reserve goalkeeper Jackson Follman.
Some reports suggest another defender, Heilio Neto, was also rescued.
The club’s main goalkeeper, Marcos Padilha aka Danilo, was also pulled alive from the wreckage but a spokesman said he later died in hospital.
