A charter plane carrying the Brazilian football team Chapecoense to the biggest game in its history crashed in Colombia after reporting electrical problems, killing 71 of the 77 people on board.

Players and staff were flying to Medellin along with journalists and LaMia Airlines crew when flight 2933 disappeared from radar after crashing into a mountainside near Medellin, its destination.

The team from Brazil's top football league - whose players became heroes less than a week ago - was due to face Atletico Nacional in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final, South America's equivalent of the Europa League.

The British Aerospace (BAe) 146 jet was en route from a stopover in Bolivia when it crashed at around 10.15pm local time on Monday night with 77 passengers and crew on board.

The six survivors are teammates Helio Zampier Neto, Alan Ruschel and Jackson Ragnar Follmann, flight attendant Ximena Suárez, flight technician Erwin Tumiri and journalist Rafael Henzel.

It was revealed that the son of a Chapecoense coach missed the tragic journey to Colombia only after forgetting his passport.

Nine of the club's players were left behind as they mourned the loss of their teammates.

Pilot Miquel Quiroga was flying the plane when it suffered electrical problems. It is reported that he dumped the air fuel seconds before the crash, saving more lives.