A chartered plane carrying first division Chapecoense soccer team from Southern Brazil crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport, officials said on Tuesday. The aircraft was transporting the passengers from Brazil to Colombia and had made a stop at Bolivia. The football players were on their way to a regional tournament final when the incident happened.

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At least 72 people were reported to be on board but it is not yet clear if that number included the flight crew or not. Colombia has recently been hit by heavy rains and although reports indicate that the crash could also be a result of fuel shortage, thunderstorms cannot be ruled out too.

"It's a tragedy of huge proportions," Medellin’s mayor Gutierrez told Blu Radio. The mayor was on his way to the site of the accident late night after midnight when the tragedy seems to have unfolded. The British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane was in good shape and it is yet to be ascertained what really happened.

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The Chapecoense soccer team was scheduled to play on Wednesday in the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin. There are reports of 6 people surviving the plane crash as of now.

URGENT UPDATE: 6 survivors reported after plane crash with Brazilian #Chapecoense football club (pic @360RadioCo) https://t.co/6M4zYewpe6 pic.twitter.com/ActllbZPxV

We will update the story with further inputs as and when they come.