He further said that unfortunately, such incidents have taken place in the region before. In 1987, a plane crashed a few kilometers from Lima, with members of the Peruvian Alianza Lima football team on board. Everyone was killed.
Cumsille added that a “similar disaster occurred in Chile in the middle of the last century.”
Coming back to death of Chapecoense club players, the producer said that it is an occasion for mourning throughout the Latin America.
On November 30, the first match [of the two] of the South American Cup final between Chapecoense and the Colombian club Atlético Nacional was due to take place.
“Given these tragic circumstances, it is difficult to say how the winner of the Cup will be determined now,” Cumsille told Sputnik Mundo.
The game was held but in March of the following year.
According to Cumsille, “I think in this case the game will also have to be rescheduled. Although for obvious reasons the two situations are not entirely identical.”
Talking about the plane crash and the airline itself, the executive producer said that he had never heard any negative reviews about the Bolivian airline Lamia, whose plane met its tragic end.
“The airline often organized charter flights for the football team and was known in the sports world across whole of Latin America,” he said.
According to the executive producer, the aircraft and airlines in Latin America today are reliable and quite safe. There are virtually no air crashes and flying conditions are also quite good.
“The main challenge for the pilots in Latin America is landing, as airports are often located in the mountains and one must have the skill to pilot in such circumstances,” Cumsille concluded.
A plane carrying 81 people, including Brazilian football team, crashed on its approach to the city of Medellin in Colombia. The chartered aircraft, flying from Brazil via Bolivia, was carrying members of the Chapecoense team.
