RIO DE JANEIRO: A woman has been arrested in Brazil for her role in causing the Chapacoense plane crash tragedy in Colombia in 2016.

Bolivian Celia Castedo Monasterio was responsible for analysis and approval of the flight plan for the plane in which 71 people died, including 19 players, officials and coaches from the Brazilian club on November 28, 2016.

The Corumbá Police, a city on the border with Bolivia in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, stated that the woman was wanted by the judicial system of her country and would face extradition procedures.

Castedo Monasterio was an official of the Administration of Airports and Auxiliary Services to Air Navigation of Bolivia (AASANA) and, after the tragedy, fled to Brazil blaming “pressure and harassment” from his superiors.

A police statement said: “The Bolivian woman was a flight safety specialist and, at the time, would have fraudulently failed to observe the minimum procedural requirements for the approval of the aircraft’s flight plan, since in the programme presented, the flight autonomy was not suitable for the trip.”

The tragedy occurred 17km from its destination, Medellín, when the plane ran out of fuel. The team were on their way to play the 2016 Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional.

The chartered plane was carrying 77 people. Three footballers, two crew members and a journalist survived.

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