Four football players from Palmas, a fourth division club in Brazil, their president and a pilot died on Sunday in a plane crash in the state of Tocantins, the institution reported.
According to a statement from the club, the accident occurred early Sunday, shortly after takeoff of the plane to Goiania (in the state of Goiás), where it was scheduled to play a match against Vila Nova this Monday.
The plane, carrying the club's president Lucas Meira, the football players Lucas Praxedes, Guilherme Noé, Ranule and Marcus Molinari, and the pilot identified as Commander Wagner, "took off and fell at the end of the runway of the Aviation Association of Tocantins (60 kilometers from Palmas, the capital of Tocantins)" with no survivors, the statement details, released by the local press.
"In this moment of pain and consternation, the club asks for prayers for the families, who will be given the necessary support," the statement adds.
Several of Brazil's most important clubs, including Flamengo, Sao Paulo, and Palmeiras, expressed their sorrow and conveyed their condolences to the families, friends, and fans of the victims.
In addition, Chapecoense - the Brazilian club that shocked the world in 2016 when the plane they were traveling in to play the final of the Copa Sudamericana in Colombia suffered an accident that caused 71 deaths, including 19 players - expressed its "deep sadness" for the accident, on its Twitter account. AFP
#ForçaPalmas pic.twitter.com/dWMQu5IEIz
— Chapecoense (@ChapecoenseReal) January 24, 2021