Chapecoense plane crash: Heartbroken Brazilian football fans welcome bodies of victims home

Paying tribute: Relatives of members of the Chapecoense Real football club team killed in an air crash in Colombia.
AFP/Getty Images
Francesca Gillett3 December 2016

Heartbreaking photos show the moment 100,000 Brazilian football fans welcomed home the bodies of victims killed in Monday’s tragic Colombian plane crash.

Half of the population of city Chapeco came out in force in the pouring rain to pay tribute to their beloved home football team after nearly all its players and staff died in the tragedy.

The plane crashed in Colombia as the Chapecoense football team headed to a match. 71 of the 77 people on board died, including 19 players on the football team.

The bodies of many of the dead arrived in the southern Brazilian city on Saturday morning.

Memorial: Military carry a coffin with the remains of Chapecoense soccer team member.
AP

Thousands of people lined the roads as the coffins were driven in procession to the stadium, where they were met by soldiers who carried the caskets on their shoulders.

Emotion: A woman cries during the funeral of the members of the Chapecoense Real football club team.
AFP/Getty Images

Heavy rain poured down on the city as the memorial began inside the 20,000-capacity stadium, as hoards stood outside to watch the ceremony on big screens.

Thousands: 100,000 people turned out for the memorial despite the pouring rain.
AP

"I've been here since early morning," said 19-year-old Chaiane Lorenzetti, who said she worked at a local supermarket frequented by club players and officials.

"I'll never see some of my clients again. It's a devastating day that will last forever."

In memory: Relatives of members of the Chapecoense Real football club team hold photos of the players.
AFP/Getty Images

A tent, with the coffins placed underneath, stretched across the width of the football field as family members and friends wept.

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