Revealed: Crashed Chapecoense plane ran out of fuel

The plane which crashed in Colombia killing most of a Brazilian football side had run out of fuel, according to a leaked audio recording.

A pilot can be heard repeatedly requesting permission to land due to an electric failure and lack of fuel.

Just six of the 77 people on board the plane survived.

The leaked conversations between the flight crew and a Colombian air traffic controller give a glimpse of the frantic, final moments of the doomed plane.

The pilot and can be heard warning of a “total electric failure” and “lack of fuel”.

Just before the tape ends, he says he is flying at an altitude of 9,000ft (2,743m). The plane slammed into a mountainside near the Colombian city of Medellin late on Monday.

Chapecoense were flying to Medellin for what would have been the biggest match in their history – the final of regional tournament the Copa Sudamericana.

The team lost 19 players in the crash. Twenty journalists were also killed.

Among the survivors, Chapecoense said that two players remained in a critical but stable condition; while the club’s goalkeeper had had one leg amputated and might still lose his other foot.

An injured journalist also remained in critical condition, the club said.

Another survivor, flight technician Erwin Tumiri, said he was still alive because he followed safety instructions.

“Many stood up and started shouting,” he said. “I put the suitcases between my legs and assumed the brace position.”

The team, Chapecoense, had been due to play a cup final in Medellin on Wednesday evening. Fans instead gathered to pay tribute.

Thousands of people carrying candles and wearing white filled the stadium where Chapecoense was to have played Atletico Nacional.

At the same time, Chapecoense fans held a tearful vigil at their home stadium in Chapeco, Brazil, which was draped in black ribbons. Both stadiums were filled to capacity.