The plane was carrying members of Brazil's Chapecoense Real football team to play a Copa Sudamerica finals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in Medellin.

"We were able to rescue six people alive but one of them died on the way to the hospital," Jose Gerardo Acevedo, a police commander, told reporters.

The five survivors of the crash are team players Alan Ruschel, Jackson Follmann and Danilo, as well as Rafael Gobbato, a journalist, and crew member, Ximena Suarez.

The plane – a British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane – is believed to have started its journey in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at 3.35pm in the afternoon local time, the reports.

It made a stop in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a bustling economic hub in eastern Bolivia, later that day before setting off for Colombia.

The Brazilian football team recently got promoted to Brazil's first division in 2014 and made it to the Copa Sudamericana finals last week by defeating Argentina's San Lorenzo.