In light of the recent tragedy that killed members of the Brazilian Chapecoense soccer team in a plane crash.
The club was scheduled to play in the Copa Sudeamerica finals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday.
These are similar incidents that left a scar on the global sports community.
SURINAME SOCCER TEAM 1989
The “colourful 11” boarded a flight from Amsterdam to Suriname but upon landing the plane crashed after being struck by trees.176 of 187 passengers died in the accident, including all members of the soccer team, It was ruled a pilot’s error.
CUBAN FENCING TEAM 1976
After dominating the Pan American games in Venezuela, the fencing team boarded a flight back to Cuba. The passengers were victim of a terrorist plot that claimed the life all 73 people on board.
U.S BOXING TEAM 1980
The team was travelling from New York to Warsaw to compete in the Olympic trials. The plane entered a sudden descent that eventually crashed into a fortress. The tragedy claimed the lives of 87 people, including 14 american boxers.
ALIANZIA LIMA PERU SOCCER TEAM 1987
The soccer team was returning from a Peruvian League match.The plane had difficulty landing, which ended with the plane crashing into the Pacific Ocean. The crash killed 43 people and 29 soccer players. The pilot was the lone survivor.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 2004
Eight members of the team took a short flight from North Carolina to Virginia to attend a race. The two pilots attempted to land multiple times until crashing into Bull Mountain, with all 10 passengers killed.
TORINO AC SOCCER TEAM 1949
One of the greatest football teams at the time, Torino were heading to Turin after an exhibition match in Lisbon when the plane carrying the team descended due to harsh weather and struck the basilica at the top of Superga hill.The crash killed all 31 passengers including 18 team members and two coaches.
URUGUAYAN RUGBY TEAM 1972
The “Old Christians Club” were traveling from Uruguay to Chile for a match. The plane with 45 passengers on board crashed in the Andes Mountains. More than a quarter of the passengers died on impact. Twenty-seven survived the initial crash, but eight more died in the freezing conditions. The story was immortalised in the 1993 film Alive.
LOKOMOTIV YAROSLAVL HOCKEY TEAM 2011
It was the beginning of the 2011-2012 season and the team was on a plane flying to Minsk, Belarus to play their opening match. However, the plane never left the runway and crashed into a beacon tower – ending up in flames. Of the 45 passengers aboard, 43 were killed including the entire Yaroslavl team and nine former NHL players.
ZAMBIAN NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM 1993
The national team had high hopes of reaching the 1994 World Cup as they set off for Senegal for a qualifying match. Tragically, the plane’s left engine caught on fire and crashed off the coast of Gabon, killing all the passengers on board ,All 18 members of the team passed away. Some 29 years later, in one of sport’s greatest upsets, Zambia won the African Cup of Nations – in Gabon.
MANCHESTER UNITED SOCCER TEAM 1958
Flying home from a European Cup semi-final against Red Star Belgrade, the plane carrying the Manchester United team stopped in Munich, Germany to refuel. Facing difficulty with the engine and weather, take-off was a problem and the plane skidded off the runway and crashed. 23 of the 44 people on board died, eight of them players and three of the team’s staff.
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