Three days of mourning declared in Brazil after 75 killed in plane crash

Six people survived and 71 people died as a plane crashed near the Colombian city of Medellin, including the players and staff of Brazilian football club Chapecoense Real.

Colombian officials said 71 people were killed and six survived, with an electrical fault thought to have led the British Aerospace 146 jet to crash, according to a statement from the José Maria Córdova airport.

Brazilian top flight team Chapecoense had been due to play Colombia's Atlético Nacional in the final of the Copa Sudamerica on Wednesday, but the game has now been cancelled.

72 passengers and nine crew members were said to have boarded the British Aerospace short-haul aircraft when the incident occurred while it was preparing for landing, although four passengers were later said to have not boarded the plane.

Brazil president Michel Temer called for three days of national mourning after the incident.

At least two of the survivors are players for the Chapecopense team. They were confirmed to be defender Alan Ruschel and reserve goalkeeper Jackson Follman.

The plane is believed to have departed from Sao Paulo, Brazil, at around 3:35pm on Monday, before making a stop in Bolivia, and continuing towards Colombia.

At around 10pm local time last night the airport in Medellin reported a plane travelling from Santa Cruz had declared an emergency.

"At the moment we know that the disaster happened in Cerro Gordo in the municipality of La Unión and that there were 72 passengers and nine crew aboard, including the football team Chapocoense Real," the statement from José Maria Córdova airport said.

The team made history last week when they became the first from the club to make it to the prestigious final, only second to the Copa Libertadores in South America.

Several high-profile football teams and players have expressed their sadness about what has happened in Colombia, including Manchester United and FC Barcelona.