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Plane That Crashed In Colombia Was Reportedly Running Out Of Fuel

Colombian aviation authorities "have lowered the death toll" from the Brasileiro side Chapecoense plane crash to 71 from 75, "saying that four fewer people were aboard the aircraft than originally reported," according to the AP. Officials said that four people did not board the flight in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, "but were listed on the plane’s passenger list." Colombian aviation authorities said that 21 journalists were among the passengers. Only one of them "is listed as surviving" (AP, 11/29). MARCA reported after stopping in Santa Cruz, the group switched planes. In the aftermath, it was apparent that the plane that transported the team from Bolivia to Colombia had "limited flight autonomy." The Airbus 320, "the plane that should have been taken," has more than seven hours of piloted flight time, but the Brazilian aviation agency (ANAC) "forced the team to take a different flight." The charter flight taken by Chapecoense was operated by LAMIA, a Venezuelan company staffed and with its center "mostly in Bolivia." The change in planes "was made because certain laws prohibit some flights entering and leaving a country if the airline company is from neither the originating nor destination country." The plane that crashed "should not have passed the preliminary test" to allow it to fly the 2,265km in the first place. In fact, various sources "have mentioned that over 20 years ago planes such as this one had been returned to their original makers SAM, now out of business," making an impending investigation "all but certain" given the mismanagement involved (MARCA, 11/30). HEAVY's Tom Cleary reported investigators are reportedly looking at "electrical issues and lack of fuel as two possible causes." A flight attendant who survived told investigators the plane "had run out of fuel prior to the crash." An official tweeted that investigators recovered two black boxes at the scene (HEAVY, 11/29).

SURVIVOR SPEAKS OUT: In Madrid, Rubén Rodríguez reported one of the survivors, Ximena Suárez, "has given some of the first facts of what happened." The young flight attendant "described what she experienced just before the crash." She said, "The plane completely turned off. After, we began to notice a steep drop before suffering a major impact." Suárez "was rescued by emergency services." Her "comments will serve to help explain what happened, a testimony that will be backed by the facts that can be taken from the plane's black boxes." The "last message from the plane to the control tower has also been discovered." El Colombiano reported the plane's pilot "requested permission to land out of fear that there could be a problem because of the low level of fuel available" (EL CONFIDENCIAL, 11/30). REUTERS' Cobb & Haynes reported the pilot of the plane that crashed had radioed that he was "running out of fuel and needed to make an emergency landing, according to the co-pilot of another plane in the area." Avianca co-pilot Juan Sebastian Upegui "said in a chat message with friends" that the LAMIA pilot told the control tower at the airport in Medellín that he was "in trouble." Upegui said that priority "had already been given to a plane from airline VivaColombia, which had also reported problems." Reuters "confirmed the audio message, which local media played on Wednesday, was from Upegui." After reporting being low on fuel, the LAMIA pilot "then said he was experiencing electrical difficulties before the radio went silent." Upegui described the pilot as saying, "Mayday mayday ... Help us get to the runway ... Help, help. Then it ended ... We all started to cry." One survivor, Bolivian flight technician Erwin Tumiri, said that he "only saved himself by strict adherence to security procedure, while others panicked." Tumiri: "Many passengers got up from their seats and started yelling. I put the bag between my legs and went into the fetal position as recommended" (REUTERS, 11/30).

SOLIDARITY MEASURES: EL MUNDO reported several Brazilian clubs "have jointly proposed a series of solidarity measures to rebuild Chapecoense, including free loans of players." The note "was originally spread by the four biggest clubs in São Paulo -- Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos and São Paulo -- as well as Coritiba y Portuguesa." Once that was published, "clubs from throughout Brazil began to join the initiative" (EL MUNDO, 11/30). TÉLAM reported Pope Francis said, "I want to remember the pain of the Brazilian village for the tragedy of the local team and pray for the deceased players and their families" (TÉLAM, 11/30). OLÉ reported a number of football stadiums and monuments worldwide were lit in green in honor of Chapecoense, including the Eiffel Tower, Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Wembley Stadium's arch and the obelisk in Buenos Aires, among others (OLÉ, 11/30).

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