Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense, heading for the biggest game in their history, were on board a plane carrying 81 people that crashed in Colombia killing 76 people, police said on Tuesday.

Chapecoense, from Brazil's top league, had been flying to face Atletico Nacional of Medellin in the first leg of Wednesday's Sudamericana final, South America’s equivalent of the Europa League.

It was the first time the small club from Chapeco had reached the final of a major South American club competition. Three players were among the survivors, Colombian disaster authoritieas said.

"Six people were rescued alive, but unfortunately one died. The rest of the occupants unfortunately died. The tragic toll is 76 victims," Jose Gerardo Acevedo, regional police commander, told journalists.

The plane crashed in a mountainous rural area outside of the city of Medellin and heavy rains at one point halted rescue operations. News showed photos of twisted wreckage and hospital staff awaiting patients.

The club said in a statement that it would not be making any official comments until it had more information from Colombian authorities about Monday night's crash.

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 said on Twitter the last tracking signal from flight 2933 had been received when it was at 15,500 feet, about 30 km from its destination, which sits at an altitude of 7,000 feet.

The Avro RJ85 was produced by a company that is now part of UK's BAE Systems

The charter flight was carrying 72 passengers and nine crew, when it crashed around 10:15 p.m. on Monday. Heavy rain first hampered and then halted rescue operations. Officials told local media that bodies would be removed at first light.

Brazilian news organizations reported 21 journalists had been on board to cover the match.

Reuters