The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) Monday officially awarded the 2016 South American Cup title to the Brazilian team Chapecoense, who lost most of their players and staff as their airplane crashed in Colombia last week on its way to playing the final's first leg in Medellín against the local squad of Atlético Nacional, who was awarded the Conmebol's Fair Play Centennial prize.
Bolivian President Evo Morales Friday admitted that LAMIA's general manager Gustavo Vargas Gamboa used to be one of his pilots but added that he did not know what he was working as after his retirement from the Air Force. He even denied knowing LAMIA was operating under Bolivian registration. A LAMIA British Aerospace 146 - RJ 85 crashed Monday night in Medellín, Colombia, killing 71 people onboard including five Bolivian nationals, although most victims were from the Brazilian Chapecoense football club.
The airline has all the requirements that Chapecoense sought for its international trips, a spokesman for the Chapecoense football club in western Santa Catarina said Thursday. A British Aerospace 146 - RJ 85 of the Bolivian charter airline Lamia, carrying the club's team to play the first leg of the South American Cup final against Atletico Nacional, crashed Monday night on approach to Medellin's Jose Maria Cordova international airport, killing almost everybody onboard.
As talks between pilot and control tower of the flight that crashed on approach to Medellin on Monday carrying the Brazilian football team Chapecoense became available and we're out of fuel can be heard easily, aviation experts agree that the British Aerospace 146 - RJ 85 has a maximum range of little more than 2900 kilometers, which is roughly the same distance between the airports of origin (Viru Viru in Santa Cruz, Bolivia) and destination (Jose Maria Cordova International in Medellin, Colombia).
A Bolivian-registered airplane carrying the football players of Brazilian team Chapecoense crashed in a mountainous area as it approached Medellin's Jose Maria Cordova international airport around Monday midnight, local time. The team was due to play the first leg of the South American Cup (the second most important club continental competition) final against Libertadores Cup holders Atlético Nacional on Wednesday. Five survivors out of 81 people on board have been reported.