Six dead as Brazilian football club Palmas devastated by air crash tragedy

Six people have been killed in a Brazilian plane crash involving four players from a football team. 

Palmas’ president also died in the accident in the northern state of Tocantins, the team said.

The plane suddenly plunged to the ground at the end of the runway while on take-off at the Tocantinense Aviation Association, Palmas Futebol e Regatas said in a statement.

The players were on their way to Goiania, in the central region of the country, to play Vila Nova  on Monday in the last 16 of the Copa Verde, a tournament reserved for teams outside the traditional powerhouses of southern and northeastern Brazil.

The victims were identified as president Lucas Meira and players Lucas Praxedes, Guilherme Noe, Ranule and Marcus Molinari, as well as the pilot, named only as Wagner. There were no survivors, the club said.

The Brazilian national team captain, Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, tweeted his condolences to those involved. 

Palmas were founded in 1997 and play in Brazil’s fourth division.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known and the club did not say what kind of plane was involved.

This is only the latest aviation tragedy to hit Brazilian football in recent years.

In 2016, 71 people were killed in a plane transporting Chapecoense to the Copa Sudamericana final.

Six people survived that crash near Medellin, Colombia. 

Two years earlier, former Internacional captain Fernandao died when his helicopter crashed in the state of Goias.

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