Brazilian goalkeeper pulled alive from Colombia air crash wreckage made heartbreaking last call to his wife moments before he died in hospital

·  Plane carrying 81 including top flight Brazil football team Chapecoense has crashed in Colombia mountains

·  The aircraft crashed after taking off from a Bolivian airport amid reports of on board 'electrical problems'

·  Early reports suggest there are just five survivors from the crash including three Chapecoense players

·  The team were set to play Copa Sudamerica tournament final on Wednesday as part of a fairy tale season

By Julian Robinson and Matt Roper In Brazil and Janet Tappin Coelho In Brazil and Thomas Burrows and Daniel Peters and Ollie Gillman for Be Informed

PUBLISHED: 06:05 GMT, 29 November 2016 | UPDATED: 16:46 GMT, 29 November 2016

A Brazilian footballer pulled from the wreckage of the Colombian air disaster made a heartbreaking last telephone call to his wife moments before he died, it has emerged.

Chapecoense goalkeeper Danilo was one of just seven people initially found alive in the mangled remains of the jet which crashed down on its way from Bolivia to the city of Medellin.

The 31-year-old was rushed for treatment after the crash, which claimed more than 70 lives, and spoke to his wife from his hospital bed - only to die from his injuries a short time later. Weeks earlier he had posted a picture of himself next to his wife who he described as 'my love'.

Separate images show him posing for selfies with fellow footballer Alan Ruschel, 27, during the journey from Brazil with Ruschel, 27, telling fans: 'We're coming Colombia.'

Ruschel was pulled alive from the wreckage along with goalkeeper Jacson Follmann and defender Helio Hermito Zampier Neto and three other passengers and crew, officials said.

Rescuers have started the grim task of removing bodies from the crash site as it emerged the pilot circled in a desperate attempt to burn off fuel before attempting to land.

The chartered plane, carrying the Brazilian football team, crashed outside Medellin killing 76 and leaving just six survivors - three of them players. 

Brazilian footballer Danilo, who was pulled from the wreckage of the Colombian air disaster, made a heartbreaking last call to his wife before dying moments later in hospital, it has emerged

Pictures taken at the scene show rescue teams trying to find survivors and the crumpled remains of the team's plane

Rescue workers this morning continued the grim task of removing bodies from the crash site in the Colombian mountains

United for the last time, this is the Brazilian football team posing together in front of a passenger jet before their doomed flight crashed in Colombia, killing 76 on board

Emergency: Alan Ruschel is said to have suffered head injuries in the crash in the remote Colombian mountains

Medical staff from the San Juan de Dios hospital transfer 27-year-old Brazilian footballer Alan Ruschel after he as pulled alive from the wreckage of the crash

Heartbreaking images have also emerged online showing devastated players who were not travelling with the team sitting in the empty club changing room

Team members had posed together for a picture in Bolivia ahead of take-off as they were travelling to Colombia for the biggest game in the club's history, the Copa Sudamerica final. But their journey came to a devastating end when the jet smashed into a hill and broke in two in remote mountains at about 10.15pm. 

Danilo's last-gasp save in the semi-final of the competition had helped the team make it through to the cup final.

The Avro RJ85 plane, which was carrying nine crew, suffered power failures while flying through the Antioquia Department on its way from Bolivia. The pilot is believed to have circled around before crash landing in a desperate bid to lose fuel and avoid an explosion on impact.

Just 20 days ago, the same plane had transported the Argentinian football team, including megastars Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria, to Belo Horizonte in Brazil, where they played Brazil in a World Cup qualifier match.

Heartbreaking images have since emerged online showing devastated players who were not travelling with the Chapecoense squad sitting in the club's empty changing room.  Brazil has since declared three days of mourning.

There are reports that the team had to change their flight at short notice and board the doomed aircraft after Brazilian aviation authorities prevented them from taking a charter plane direct from Sao Paulo to Medellin.

A video published on the Chapecoense Facebook page showed team members readying for their journey earlier on Monday in Sao Paulo's Guarulhos international airport. A team photograph then showed them preparing to board in Bolivia on the second leg of their journey.

The wreckage of the LAMIA airlines charter plane carrying members of the Chapecoense Real football team is seen after it crashed in the mountains of Cerro Gordo

There are reports that the team had to change their flight and board the doomed aircraft after Brazilian aviation authorities prevented them from taking a charter plane

Crash site: Pictures show how the plane smashed into the side of a mountain after coming down close to the town of La Union

A police searcher looks through the wreckage of the plane as rescuers started to remove bodies from the site this morning

A rescuer walks past the body of a victim from the LAMIA airlines charter plane crash in the mountains of Cerro Gordo

Colombian authorities later said a sixth person was found alive revealing that footballer Helio Hermito Zampier Neto, was in the process of being evacuated. He is pictured being treated by medics

Amid dismal weather conditions, rescuers carry one of the survivors from the LAMIA airlines charter plane to a waiting ambulance

Shocked fans comforted each other outside the home of Chapecoense at the Arena Conda stadium in Chapeco

Chapecoense was traveling on a chartered flight to play Colombian club Atletico Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana final when the plane crashed near Medellin

The team, from the small city of Chapeco, was in the middle of a fairy tale season. It joined Brazil's first division in 2014 for the first time since the 1970s and made it last week to the Copa Sudamericana finals - the equivalent of the UEFA Europa League tournament - after defeating Argentina's San Lorenzo.

'May God accompany our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests travelling with our delegation' the club said in a brief statement on its Facebook page. The players looked happy and relaxed as they waited for permission to board.

The mayor of La Ceja, a nearby town, said on local radio, citing firefighters, that at least 25 people had been killed in the crash and about five survivors had been rescued - but few official figures were yet available.

Ambulances ferrying survivors to hospital can only get to within 30 minutes walk of the spot where the plane has crashed near the town of La Unión, it has emerged. 

Rescuers on foot are having to stretcher survivors through fog which prevents them from seeing more than a few feet in front of them, local radio reported. They are then put into lorries which drive them another 700 metres to the waiting ambulances. 

The pilots and cabin crew on board the plane that crashed were all Bolivian while most of the passengers were Brazilian and about 40 were part of the Chapecoense delegation.

Images emerged online showing players in the cockpit posing for pictures with pilot Miquel Quiroga, who was believed to have been flying the doomed plane

Pictures have emerged showing members of the crew of the doomed Bolivian aircraft

Chapecoense left back Dener Assunção posted this image of players on a flight on his Instagram account

There are reports that 27-year-old defender Alan Ruschel (pictured) was one of just five survivors from the crash and is now being treated in hospital for a broken hip and head injuries

The Chapecoense football team are pictured here on a plane. The footballers had to change their flight and board the plane that crashed after Brazilian aviation authorities prevented them from taking a charter flight, it has been claimed

A video published on the Chapecoense Facebook page showed team members readying for the flight earlier on Monday in Sao Paulo's Guarulhos international airport

A picture posted on a fan site showed former Atletico Madrid player Cleber Santana, 35, on a plane before he was killed in the crash

Brazilian aviation authorities said they had denied LaMia's request for a charter flight directly from Sao Paulo, saying only a Brazilian or Colombian company was allowed to operate the requested route

Rescue experts started to remove parts of the plane this morning as they worked to clear the scene of the disaster

Pictures show how trees were flattened as the plane came in to land. Reports suggest the captain circled before attempting to land

They included 20 players, the manager Caio Junior and four other members of his coaching team including an assistant manager, a personal trainer, a kinesiologist and a masseur who is said to be among the survivors.

The club's president and vice-president were also on board along with other club managers. The team were only about five minutes from their destination when they crashed.  

Among those believed to have perished on the flight to Medellin are dozens of sports journalists and well-known football commentators making their way to report on Chapecoense's history-making game. 

They include a six-strong team from FOX Sports, three reporters from Brazil's main Globo TV channel, among a total of 21 members of the media. 

Among the team from FOX, which was broadcasting the game, were famous commentators Devair Pascovicci and Mario Sergio, as well as respected football journalist Victorino Chermont. 

It also emerged Anderson Paixao, the trainer of both Chapecoense and the Brazilian national side, is among those not accounted for. 

THE AVRO RJ85 PLANE THAT FIRST FLEW IN 1999

The plane that crashed was an Avro RJ85, produced by a company that is now part of UK's BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace).

Its registration is CP-2933 and records show the plane first flew in March 1999. 

From 1999 to 2007, it was owned by Mesaba Aviation in the US before it was transferred. It was then in the hands of CityJet, before being taken over by Bolivian airline LAMIA in October 2013.

In 2014, part of a wing on a RJ85 aircraft became partially detached as it left from London City Airport to Florence. After climbing to 3,000 feet, the aircraft returned to London City and a new plane was readied.  

Production of the RJ series ended in 2002 with 170 planes built in total.

Pictured is the plane that crashed in Colombia on Monday night after reportedly suffering power failures

he RJ85 can hold up to 112 people, but the more typical seating arrangement was for 85 passengers.   

According to data from Flightradar, it had flown around 1848 miles from the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz.

The RJ85's range is around 1842 miles when equipped with standard fuel tanks, according to Airliners.net.

Alfredo Bocanegra, the head of Colombia's civil aviation agency, said communication with Bolivian aviation officials suggested the plane was experiencing electrical problems. 

However, he added that investigators would have to look into reported testimony from a female flight attendant who said the plane had run out of fuel.

It has also been revealed the Argentinian national team, which included Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, used the same aircraft to travel to their World Cup qualifier against Brazil a fortnight ago, which they lost 3-0. 

Anderson had first been called up to train Brazil stars such as Neymar and David Luiz last year for the Copa America in Chile. 

His colleague, Chapecoense's physio Rafael Gobbato is also believed to be among the dead. 

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the new mayor-elect of Chapeco escaped the doomed flight - despite being on the list of those on board. Luciano Bulligon had planned to join his town's team for their crucial match but changed his mind at the last minute, saying his schedule was too full. 

And Chapecoence player Alejandro Martinuccio has revealed how an injury is likely to have saved his life.

The Argentine forward wasn't able to play in the scheduled match in Colombia, so he wasn't on the team plane that crashed Monday night in Colombia, killing most of those aboard. He told Argentina's La Red radio that 'I was saved because I got injured.'

'I feel profound sadness,' he said. 'The only thing I can ask is prayers for the companions who were on the flight.'

Wreckage: A plane carrying 72 passengers including the top flight Brazilian football team Chapecoense has crashed in Colombia

Rescuers have faced difficulty reaching the remote crash sites with stretchers being carried down to waiting ambulances

Shocking images showed passengers being rescued from the scene of the crash including Brazilian journalist Rafael Henze

Defender Alan Ruschel (pictured on a stretcher) and goalkeeper Danilo Padilha from the top Brazilian side Chapecoense posed for a short video on board a passenger plane as Ruschel, 27, told fans: 'We're coming Colombia.'

Ambulances ferrying survivors to hospital can only get to within 30 minutes walk of the spot where the plane has crashed near the town of La Unión, it has emerged

Images from the site reveal the mangled wreckage of the plane and what appears to be a muddied outfit with the emblem of the Chapecoense football team

Rescue teams faced tricky conditions and had to suspend their operation when heavy rain started to fall

The plane was flying from Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and should have landed at Jose Maria Cordova in Colombia

The 28-year-old has played for Spain's Villarreal, Penarol of Uruguay and Brazilian clubs Coritiba, Ponte Preta, Cruzeiro and Fluminense.

Meanwhile the son of coach Caio Junior who perished in the crash has told how he only didn't board the doomed aircraft after forgetting his passport. 

Some of the lorries are getting stuck in mud which is making the rescue more difficult. Witnesses said they have seen five people rescued so far.

FOOTBALLERS, JOURNALISTS AND CREW: THE VICTIMS OF THE COLOMBIA AIR CRASH

Doctors at several hospitals are working to stabilise the six survivors of the plane crash that killed 75 people near Medellin, Colombia. All the injured suffered severe trauma injuries.

Hospital officials say Chapecoense player Alan Ruschel appears to be in the most delicate condition. He's suffered a spinal fracture. Ruschel was stabilised at the San Juan de Dios hospital and transferred by ambulance to the intensive care unit of better-equipped facility, where he's awaiting surgery.

San Juan de Dios medical director Guillermo Leon says defender Helio Zampier arrived shortly after dawn and is in stable condition with skull and chest injuries.

A third player, Jakson Follmann, is at another facility and being evaluated for multiple unspecified injuries.

Journalist Rafael Valmorbida is recovering from surgery for chest injuries. Bolivian crew members Ximena Suarez and Erwin Tumiri are listed in stable condition and recovering.

Other players listed on the flight included:

Ananias, a 27-year-old striker; Arthur Maia, a 24-year-old midfielder; Bruno Rangel, a 34-year-old striker; Ailton Canela, a 21-year-old striker; Cleber Santana, a 35-year-old midfielder; Dener, a 25-year-old defender; Filipe Machado, a 32-year-old defender; Gil , a 29-year-old midfielder; Gimenez, a 21-year-old defender; Danilo Padilha, a 31-year-old goalkeeper; Kempes, a 34-year-old striker; Lucas Gomes, a 26-year-old striker; Matheus Biteco, a 21-year-old midfielder; Sergio Manoel, a 27-year-old midfielder; William Thiago, a 30-year-old defender; Tiaguinho, a 22-year-old striker; Josimar, a 30-year-old midfielder; Marcelo Augusto, a 25-year-old defender; Mateus Caramelo, a 22-year-old defender.

There were just six survivors from the Colombia air crash, including players Alan Ruschel, Jacson Follmann and Helio Hermito Zampier Neto (second from right in the back row)

There were more than 20 media professionals travelling with the footballers from news organisations including Fox, Globo and Radio FM. They included the journalist Victorino Chermont (pictured)

Around 20 other passengers were members of the Chapecoense tour group. The included the manager Caio Junior and four other members of his coaching team including an assistant manager, a personal trainer, a kinesiologist and a masseur who is said to be among the survivors. The club's president and vice-president were also on board along with other club managers.

There were more than 20 media professionals travelling with the footballers from news organisations including Fox, Globo and Radio FM. They included the journalist Victorino Chermont.

Crew members who died in the crash included Miguel Quiroga, Ovar Goytia, Sisy Arias, Romel Vacaflores, Alex Quispe, Gustavo Encinaand Angel Lugo

Hypothermia is another concern for those who have survived, because it is only five degrees Celsius. Nearby hospitals have been placed on 'maximum alert' and are preparing for injured passengers to be treated.

Video shared on Twitter claimed to have captured the exact moment the  hort-haul plane, operated by a charter airline named LaMia, dropped from the radar. Shocking images also show the mangled wreckage of the plane's wing. 

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 said on Twitter the last tracking signal from flight 2933 had been received when it was at 15,500 feet, about 19 miles from its destination, which sits at an altitude of 7,000 feet.

Grief: Supporters of Chapcoense FC gathered at the club in Chapeco, Brazil today as news emerged of the devastating crash

Mourning: Fans of Chapecoense soccer team are pictured in front of the Arena Conda stadium in Chapeco, Brazil

Supporters gathered outside the club in Brazil as they awaited news on the crash in Colombia earlier today

The Avro RJ85 was produced by a company that is now part of UK's BAE Systems.  A civilian aviation database website says that the plane that it made its first flight on March 1999.

Statistics from planespotters.net show that the regional plane has had several owners since. 

From 1999 to 2007, it was owned by Mesaba Aviation in the U.S. before it was transferred. The plane has been in the hands of Bolivian airline LAMIA since October 2013.

British Aerospace, which is now known as BAE Systems, says that the first 146 plane took off in 1981 and that just under 400 - including its successor Avro RJ - were built in total in the U.K. through November 2003.

It says around 220 of are still in service in a variety of roles, including aerial firefighting and overnight freight services.

There are reports that the plane was 17 years old and that the team had taken the charter flight out of Bolivia when Brazilian aviation authorities barred the club from chartering a Bolivian plane direct from Sau Paulo to Medellin.

A post on the Instagram account of player Filipe Machado (left) showed a picture of an aircraft and a message saying: 'Already in Bolivia, now we're going direct to Medellin, Colombia

Hypothermia is another concern for those who have survived, beacuse it is only five degrees Celsius

The commander of the Fire Department of La Union reported that five people were being treated at the scene, while the Medellin airport said there were just five survivors

Instead they had to take a commercial flight to Santa Cruz de La Sierra in Bolivia, where they got the plane that crashed, reports in Brazil have claimed.

Hugo Botero Lopez, mayor of La Union, told Colombian newspaper El Tiempo: 'There are firemen from La Union, Rionegro, El Carmen de Vibroal, La Ceja, there are more than 90 lifeguards, but it is not easy to get people who are alive.' 

'It's a tragedy of huge proportions,' Medellin's Mayor Federico Gutierrez told Blu Radio on his way to the site in a mountainous area outside the city where the chartered aircraft is believed to have crashed shortly before midnight local time

HOW CHAPECOENSE WERE DENIED PERMISSION TO FLY DIRECT TO COLOMBIA

Chapecoense had wanted to fly direct from Sao Paulo to Medellin but were barred from doing so because only a Brazilian or Colombian company was allowed to operate the requested route, it has emerged.

The pilot of the doomed flight, Mick Quiroga, asked Luciano Buligon, mayor of the club's city, Chapeco, whether he could intervene to allow the direct route to go ahead rather than having to stop off in Bolivia.

The mayor checked with the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) who confirmed that this route had been denied.

The pilot of the doomed flight, Mick Quiroga (pictured), asked Luciano Buligon, mayor of the club's city, Chapeco, whether he could intervene to allow the direct route to go ahead rather than having to stop off in Bolivia

Instead, the team took a commercial flight from Sao Paulo to Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia to pick up the LaMia flight which was being piloted by Quiroga.

In the conversation Quiroga said: 'I have hired a Bolivian air plane to take us from Sao Paulo Guarulhos to Santa Cruz. I'll be waiting here in Santa Cruz. This flight leaves 15:00 local time in São Paulo, but what about the process for the other application to leave from Sao Paulo, because we had approval before to enter through Foz do Iguacu and go to Chapeco (on a previous trip). Please mayor gives us some help here for us to enter.' 

Chapecoense flew the first leg of their journey with BoA a Bolivian operator. When they reached, Bolivia, the passengers changed to the LaMia aircraft. 

Local media in Colombia are reporting that a male passenger has arrived in an ambulance to a hospital near Medellin.

Blu Radio said the passenger arrived on a stretcher with an oxygen mask and covered in a blanket. He appeared to be alive.

'Tonight it was reported that a plane coming from Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, which should have landed at Jose Maria Cordova, airport had gone off course,' a Colombian rescue official, Mauricio Parodi, told reporters.

The British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane, operated by charter airline LaMia, declared an emergency at 10pm local time on Monday because of an electrical failure

Remote: Rescuers had to trek 30 minutes in order to reach the crash site which was in a mountainous region of Colombia

Emergency crews arrived to find bodies lying on the ground among the wreckage of the aircraft, which was carrying 81 people

Heavy rain hampered rescue attempts and some emergency vehicles had to be pushed through the mud

Rescue teams, from firefighters to disaster management officials, have been pressed into the search for survivors, added Parodi, the director of disaster managment for the province of Antioquia.

Poor weather conditions made the crash site accessible only by road, airport authorities at Medellin, where the plane was scheduled to land, said on social network Twitter.

Chapecoense were set to play Colombian team Atletico Nacional in the South American club tournament's final on Wednesday, with the return fixture in Brazil on December 7.

It was the first time the small club from Chapeco had ever reached the final of a major South American club competition but they were underdogs against a club going for a rare double after winning the Copa Libertadores in July.

Chapecoense were the 21st biggest club in Brazil in terms of revenue, bringing in 46 million reais ($13.5 million) in 2015, according to an annual rich list compiled by Brazilian bank Itau BBA.

Local radio said the team were due to stay at the four-star Hotel San Fernando, an elegant hotel near Medellin's Botanical Garden.

HOW CHAPECOENSE PLAYERS WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FAIRY TALE SEASON

Why were Chapecoense heading to Colombia?

Chapecoense were due to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday, which is South America's secondary club competition - an equivalent to the Europa League in Europe.

They were going to face Colombian side Atletico Nacional in the first match of the two-legged final. A video was uploaded by the club to social media showing the players heading on to the flight.

Chapecoense edged Argentinian side San Lorenzo 1-1 on away goals in the semi-final to become the first Brazilian club to reach a major final in South America since 2013.

After the victory, they were described as 'an unglamorous but growing club' by ESPN.

When were Chapecoense formed?

Chapecoense are a relatively young club, formed in 1973 in the city of Chapeco, in south Brazil.

Their stadium, Arena Conda in Santa Catarina, holds 22,600.

Chapecoense would have had to have played the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana final at an alternative venue because CONMEBOL, South America's equivalent to UEFA, state the final must be played at a venue holding at least 40,000 spectators.

They are managed by Caio Junior, who has played and coached extensively across Brazil.

The team joined Brazil's first division in 2014 for the first time since the 1970s and made it last week to the Copa Sudamericana finals - the equivalent of the UEFA Europa League tournament - after defeating Argentina's San Lorenzo

How long have they been in Brazil's top division, Serie A?

They have competed in the first division for three seasons, having made the top tier in 2014.

As recently as 2009, they were in the fourth tier of Brazilian football and their run to a continental final this season was rightly heralded as a significant achievement.

Who are their most notable players?

Ananias, who is on loan at the club from Cruzeiro, netted the decisive away goal against San Lorenzo that got them to the final.

Another loanee at the club is 21-year-old defensive midfielder Matheus Biteco, from German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.

Goalkeeper Marcelo Boeck spent five years at Sporting Lisbon from 2011-2016, where he was a team-mate of current Leicester striker Islam Slimani.

Boeck reportedly got in trouble with Slimani after they won the Potruguese Super Cup in August 2015 and spraying him with champagne. As a Muslim, Slimani is not allowed to touch alcohol.

Another of their well-known players was Cleber Santana, a midfielder whose best years were spent in Spain with Atletico Madrid and Mallorca. 

What is the reaction to the tragedy in South America?

Chapecoense said on the club's Facebook page it 'reserves the right to wait for the official announcement of the Colombian air authority to issue any official statement about the accident. God be with our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests who are with the delegation.'

Atletico Nacional said it 'deeply regrets and sympathizes with @chapecoensereal on the accident and expects information from authorities.'

CONMEBOL has suspended all activities until further notice.

The club's vice president said that the Brazilian city where the team is from is in tears. Ivan Tozzo said that Chapeco, a city of 200,000 residents in southern Brazil, is in mourning.

Tozzo told cable channel SporTV that 'we are very sad, gathered here in the locker room of our stadium. We are still waiting for news. All our board is there, our players. We have nothing concrete on their state.'

He said that 'There are a lot of people crying in our city, we could never imagine this. Chapecoense is the biggest reason for joy here. We hope there are many survivors, at least that most of them are OK.'

The South American soccer federation has cancelled all activities until further notice.

The CONMEBOL federation said in a statement that its president, Alejandro Dominguez, is on his way to Medellin.

Atletico Nacional had said on Twitter: 'National deeply regret and sympathise with @ChapecoenseReal for the accident which has happened and await information from authorities.' 

A plane carrying 72 passengers including a Brazilian football team has crashed in Colombia (pictured, Medellin Airport, where the team were travelling to)

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