President And Brazilian Club Division 4 Palmas Killed In Plane Crash

JAKARTA - The president of the Palmas football club and four of its players on Sunday local time died when a small plane carrying them to a match in Brazil crashed while taking off.

The fourth division club said president Lucas Meira, along with four players named Lucas Praxedes, Guilherme Noe, Ranule and Marcus Molinari, were killed. The pilot, known only as Wagner, also died.

"The plane took off and crashed at the end of the runway at the Tocantinense Aviation Association," the club said on its ESPN website. "We regret to report no survivors."

The plane was bound for Goiania some 800 km where Palmas will play Vila Nova on Monday in the last 16 of the Copa Verde which is a tournament for clubs outside the top clubs in southern and northeastern Brazil.

The players flew on private planes because they tested positive for COVID-19, club spokeswoman Izabela Martins told the Associated Press.

Martins said Monday was the last day they would undergo isolation and that the rest of the team traveled on a commercial plane.

Palmas Futebol e Regatas was founded in 1997 and plays in the Brazilian fourth division.

The cause of the accident is not yet known, but the Baron model aircraft has a capacity of six passengers. When the fire department arrived at the crash site the plane was engulfed in flames. Two explosions were recorded.

The Brazilian Football Federation extends its condolences and solidarity to the player family and the Palmas club. FIFA also expressed its condolences.

In 2016, a plane killed 19 players from the Chapecoense football club who were flying on the route for the final game of the South American soccer tournament in Colombia after running out of fuel near Medellin.