TODAY COLOMBIA NEWS – Four people who were supposed to be on the plane carrying a Brazilian soccer team that crashed in Colombia decided against traveling at the last minute.
Colombia authorities originally believed 75 people died in the crash but later realized that four people who were scheduled to fly didn’t board the plane, ABC News reported.
Two of the passengers were Chapecoense players who did not travel with the team due to injuries. A third passenger was the coach’s son, who had forgotten his passport.
The two players who did not travel were photographed in the Chapecoense locker room following the news of the crash.
The horrific crash killed 71 people, but six survived – including three Chapecoense players, two crew members and a journalist.
Goalie Marcos Danilo Padilha initially survived long enough to call his father, but he later died, his relatives said. Colombia’s civil aviation authority, Aeronautica Civil, identified Padilha as a survivor in an earlier press release, but his name was not included among the survivors in a subsequent press release.
The plane was due to arrive in Medellin from Bolivia but it suffered an electrical failure before it crashed Monday night. The tail of the plane clipped the top of the mountain, and the rest of the fuselage slid down onto the other side of the slope, authorities said.
Even in good conditions, the landing into Medellin is challenging due to the high terrain, poor visual cues and high altitude. There were scattered thunderstorms and showers at the time of the crash.
Chapecoense was due to play against Medellin’s Atletico Nacional in the finals of the Copa Sudaamericana on Wednesday. Atletico Nacional announced that Chapecoense should be crowed the champions of the 2016 South American cup.
Chapecoense was a Cinderella story for the 2016 season, surprising many with its tournament wins. One of its semifinal game was dubbed a “David and Goliath” matchup by ESPNFC.
Brazil president Michel Temer declared three days of mourning for the victims of the crash.
Soccer stars all over the globe, including Neymar Jr., Lionel Messi and Pele, took to social media to express their condolences.
Original article first appeared at Faithwire.com
