Relatives of one of the victims of Monday’s plane crash in Colombia have gathered for a memorial mass at one of Brazil’s most iconic lan...
Relatives of one of the victims of Monday’s plane crash in Colombia have gathered for a memorial mass at one of Brazil’s most iconic landmarks. Families and friends gathered at the foot of the Christ the Redeemer statue which looks out over Rio de Janeiro. Shrouded in dense fog, the emblematic statue was poignantly lit up in green, the Chapecoense colours. In Rio, Christ the Redeemer statue is all green as an act of consolidation with Chapecoense.#ForçaChape pic.twitter.com/AMzWSScvfe— Roro O’Monstro.™ (@Roromeo_MUFC10) November 29, 2016 Who was the ceremony in honour of? Guilherme Marques, a 28-year-old reporter from TV Globo. He was one of the 71 people who died when their chartered aircraft, carrying the Brazilian Chapecoense football team, came down in Colombia. Rio’s Christ the Redeemer lit in Chapecoense’s team colors as mass is held beneath famous statue to honor the dead. https://t.co/vfKDH0iyfr pic.twitter.com/VSm9TZKgij— ABC News (@ABC) November 30, 2016 Brazil and the world of football in mourning The team lost the majority of its players in the crash. They were travelling for what has been described as “the biggest match in their history”. Masses have also been held in other areas of Brazil, including Chapeco, the team’s home city, to commemorate the victims. Relatives and friends also gathered at the team’s Arena Conda. They were joined by fans of the club who came to mourn together at the team’s home ground. Alaide Padilha, the mother of one of those killed, says she is trying to come to terms with the news. “My heart is in pieces, I am in a lot of pain. It is incredibly difficult. I never thought I would go through this. It hasn’t set in,” she told reporters. Beira-rio ficará assim durante a noite de hoje. Uma homenagem para a Chapecoense. pic.twitter.com/CMGxOqT08d— Carlos Lacerda (@lacerdacarlos08) November 29, 2016 See how the club is paying tribute on its website here The crash – what happened? The plane slammed into a mountainside near Medellin on Monday. The team were on their way to face Atletico Nacional for the Copa Sudamerica, South America’s equivalent of the Europa League. The BAe 146 charter plane, en route from a stopover in Bolivia, went down around 1015 pm local time. There were 68 passengers on board, along with a crew of nine. Only six of the 77 people on board the plane survived. TV Globo tribute 21 journalists were also on board, in addition to players, coaches and staff. The journalists were going to cover the match. Brazil’s TV Globo ended their evening newscast on Tuesday with the newsroom applauding as they remembered those lost. They include at least one person from their own newsroom. QUE HOMENAGEM LINDA DA TV GLOBO SEM PALAVRAS👏👏 pic.twitter.com/IGYMQyykRT— #FORÇACHAPE (@Fute_RS) November 30, 2016 Acompanhe os acontecimentos sobre o acidente com o time da Chapecoense. A GloboNews tá ao vivo em seu canal: https://t.co/xLYl2DdgO4— Globo Internacional (TVGloboInter) November 29, 2016 All views – from the Euronews Portuguese language service Tiago Braga Marques from the Portuguese language service at Euronews says this was a special team on the way to the biggest match of their lives. “What makes this such a tragic story is the fact that a small team that had only played in the lower divisions until 2013 managed to reach the final of a South American football competition.” “The end was tragic. Outside Brazil, no one knew Chapecoense before this plane crash.” “But now, not only is Brazil in mourning, the whole football world is in mourning.” Los grandes monumentos del mundo se tiñen de verde para homenajear al Chapecoense https://t.co/COVHiPIMN9 pic.twitter.com/cNuVk6vxRs— Antena3Noticias (@A3Noticias) November 30, 2016 Less
