(18:40) Brazilian President Michel Temer declared three days of national mourning for victims of the plane crash in Colombia, as the football-mad nation plunged into grief and all games were called off for one week.

(17:40) The Rio headquarters of the Brazilian Football Association (Confederacao Brasileira de Futebol or CBF) flew flags at half mast on Tuesday, November 29th, following the air crash involving a Brazilian first division team in Colombia.

(16:15) A Reuters photographer said the plane split in two, destroying the tail end. Rain hampered the dozens of rescuers as they combed the muddy and forested area.

(15:13) FIFA President Gianni Infantino says it is a "very, very sad day for football".

A spokesman for Brazilian soccer club Chapecoense has confirmed the death of goalkeeper Marcos Danilo who had initially been rescued alive and was being treated at a hospital.

(13:45) The head of Colombia's civil aviation agency says that authorities aren't ruling out the possibility the chartered flight carrying a Brazilian soccer team ran out of fuel before crashing. But for now, the main line of investigation is a possible electrical failure aboard the aircraft.

Alfredo Bocanegra, speaking from the rescue command center, said that communication with Bolivian aviation officials suggested the plane was experiencing electrical problems.

At the same time, investigators will have to evaluate reported testimony from a female flight attendant who said the plane had run out of fuel.

United for the last time, this is the Brazilian football team posing together in front of a passenger jet before their doomed flight crashed in Colombia, killing 76 on board.

(13:01) First survivor taken to hospital in La Ceja, Colombia. The plane that crashed outside in Colombia overnight had been used by Argentina's national side only a few weeks ago.

(12:50) Brazil's President Michel Temer has expressed his grief for the victims of the plane crash.

"I express my solidarity in this sad hour during which tragedy has beset dozens of Brazilian families," Temer said in a statement, adding that Brazil's Foreign Ministry and Air Force were working to assist the relatives.

Rescue teams search for survivors.

(Update 12:10) Police have confirmed the tragic news that 76 people on board Flight 2933 have died, with just five survivors making it out of the wreckage.

Chapecoense's Alan Ruschel, a defender, and goalkeeper Marcos Danilo - who were sitting next to each other when the plane crashed - have been taken to a hospital in La Ceja, a town in eastern Antioquia, one and a half hours from Medellin.

Two other confirmed survivors are journalist Rafael Henzel and crew member Ximena Suarez (Earlier reported as Jimena Suarez). Henzel, who has been a sports journalist for the last 20 years, was confirmed as being pulled from the crash despite not being on the passenger list.

The rescue mission - now being described as a clean up operation - has been hampered by heavy rains that have made the crash site almost impossible to access.

(11:28) Local media is reporting that journalist Rafael Henzel was among the survivors pulled from the wreckage. The moment Colombian plane vanished from radar.

Days of heavy rain are making the site around the crash difficult to access, local press are reporting.

360 Radio Colombia is reporting that rescue work has been suspended because of strong rainfall.

(10:18) Reports of survivors. 360 Radio Colombia is reporting there are 13 survivors, after earlier reports of just six.

The radio station has named some of the reported survivors who have been transfered to hospital, including flight attendant Jimena Suarez and Chapecoense goalkeeper Marcos Danilo and player Jackson Follmann.

However these names have not been officially confirmed - and it is not known what condition any survivors are in at this stage.

The South American football federation has suspended all games and other activities.

A chartered aircraft with 81 people on board, including a Brazilian first division soccer team heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, has crashed on its way to Medellin's international airport, the Telegraph reports.

Aviation authorities said there are reports of at least six survivors.

Alcalde de Medellín, @FicoGutierrez está en la zona del desastre aéreo, dice que "lo importante es salvar vidas" pic.twitter.com/4wNHKYu9WU

— MiOriente (@MiOriente) November 29, 2016

"It's a tragedy of huge proportions," Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez told Blu Radio on his way to the site in a mountainous area outside the city where aircraft crashed.

Aviation authorities said the British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane, operated by a Bolivian charter airline named Lamia, declared an emergency at 10 pm Monday (0300 GMT) due to an electrical failure.

Authorities and rescuers were immediately activated but an air force helicopter had to turn back because of low visibility.

They urged journalists to stay away from the hard-to-access zone and stay off the roads to facilitate the entry of ambulances and rescuers. The area has been hit by heavy rains in recent days.

An ambulance transporting a male passenger with oxygen and covered in a blanket arrived on a stretcher to a local hospital, Blu Radio reported. He was apparently alive.

The aircraft, which made a stop in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was transporting the first division Chapecoense soccer team from southern Brazil.

The team was scheduled to play Wednesday in the first of a two-game Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin.

The plane was carrying 72 passengers and nine crew members, aviation authorities said in a statement.

Local radio said the same aircraft transported Argentina's national squad for a match earlier this month in Brazil, and previously had transported Venezuela's national team.