Plane carrying Chapecoense footballers ran out of fuel

The flight came down in mountains near Medellin, Colombia./BBC
The flight came down in mountains near Medellin, Colombia./BBC

The plane carrying Brazilian footballers which crashed in Colombia had run out of fuel, according to a leaked audio recording.

In the air traffic tower tape, a pilot can be heard repeatedly requesting permission to land due to a "total electric failure" and lack of fuel.

Just before the tape ends, the pilot says he is flying at an altitude of 9,000ft (2,743m)

.Just six of the 77 people on board the plane survived.

The plane was carrying most of Brazil's Chapecoense football team and 20 journalists were also among those killed.

The recording, which has been published by several Colombian media outlets, confirmed earlier reports that a lack of fuel might have contributed to the crash.

Colombian military sources had told the AFP agency: "It is very suspicious that despite the impact there was no explosion. That reinforces the theory of the lack of fuel."

Investigators have yet to announce any single cause for the crash and a full analysis is expected to take months.

Chapecoense were flying to the Colombian city of Medellin on Monday for what would have been the biggest match in their history.

There has been an outpouring of grief and support from the football world.

WATCH: The latest news from around the World