A plane carrying the Brazilian Serie A football team Chapecoense has crashed. Out of the 81 passengers on board, 72 were from the team that departed from Bolivia on the way to Colombia for a match with Atletico Nacional next week.

The team was travelling to the Colombian city of Medellin before crashing in the city’s mountainous region. According to local sources the plane, operated by Bolivian airline Lamia, was victim to an electrical fault in the control tower.

A statement on Twitter from the airport in Medellin said “all possible aid was being mobilized because six survivors are being reported.”

Poor weather in Columbia has meant the crash site can only be accessed by land.

The Brazilian team was due to play the Colombian outfit in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final on Wednesday.

Chapecoense was promoted to the top tier of Brazilian football in 2014 and achieved a ninth-placed finish this campaign to go with its memorable run in the South American competition.