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11 months ago
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A Colombian city has come under fire over a Christmas-themed structure that resembled the LaMia charter airplane that crashed in 2016 and killed 71 people, including 19 players from the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense.
The replica was constructed with aluminum panels and set up near a church in La Unión, Antioquia before it was taken apart ahead of last Saturday's festivity to mark the beginning of the holiday season.
The tasteless structure was decorated wit lights and bared a striking resemblance of the rear half of the aircraft stuck to the ground and one of the wings appeared broken in half.
Mayor Edgar Osorio said the city's Public Services Company was tasked with the design and preparation of annual Christmas lighting spectacle that brings residents of all ages to the town's main park.
The Christmas decoration prop was condemned on social media by La Unión residents and Chapecoense fans, who called for its removal.
As part of the this year's Christmas light show, the Public Services Company in the Colombian city of La Unión created a replica of a LaMia charter airplane that crashed on November 28, 2016 and killed 71 of the 77 people who were on board, including members of the Brazilian soccer team, Chapecoense
Rescue teams work in the recovery of the bodies of victims of the LaMia airlines charter that crashed in the mountains of Cerro Gordo in La Unión, Colombia on November 28, 2016
A morbid Christmas display was removed last Friday, a day before the Colombian city of La Unión was set to kick off the Christmas holiday season with a special lighting presentation, which featured a replica of the LaMia charter airplane that crashed in November 2016 and killed 71 people, including members and the entourage of a Brazilian soccer team
In an interview with Noticias Caracol, La Unión resident Olivia Mejia criticized the city, saying: 'Out of a tragedy, the only thing they did was make themselves foolish.'
Osorio gave the order to have the structure removed Friday because it had 'generated diverse reactions on social media.'
He acknowledged that he had never seen the Public Services Company's plans prior to the unveiling of the airplane structure that commemorated the November 28, 2016 crash.
'The Christmas decorations were never intended of hurting people's sensitivity,' Osorio said in a statement posted to his social media. 'But we understand the discomfort they caused and therefore we apologize and will proceed with their removal.'
LaMia flight 2933 was carrying 77 people from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia to Medellín, where Chapecoense had a 2016 Copa Sudamerica Finals match with Atlético Nacional.
Workers removed a tasteless Christmas light display the resembled the plane that crash into a mountain in the Colombian city of La Unión in 2016 and killed 71 people, including members of the Brazilian soccer club
Residents visit one of the Christmas structures what were lit up as part of the annual lighting show in La Unión, Colombia
The Avro RJ85 aircraft ran out of fuel as it was preparing to land at José María Córdoba International Airport and crashed into Cerro Gordo, mountain in La Unión.
Chapecoense players Jakson Follmnan; Alan Ruschel; Neto; a flight attendant and two passengers survived the crash.
One of the passengers, a journalist, died of a heart attack.
'It's not okay because they are having a celebration, taking advantage and profiting from those victims, from that tragedy that occurred that day,' a resident said after the structure was taken down. 'Most of the community is dissatisfied with that and I think it is not done well.'
The mayor of the Colombian city of La Unión said that the 'Christmas decorations were never intended of hurting people's sensitivity'
The airplane replica, which was constructed out of aluminum, was taken down Friday following complaints from La Unión residents and fans of the Brazilian soccer team, Chapecoense,
Santiago Campusano, who helped rescue Ruschel, agreed that by including the replica of the airline, the city was just 'taking advantage and profiting from those victims of that tragedy that occurred that day.'
Since the accident, people from other parts of Colombia as well as foreigners have traveled to La Unión to visit the crash site area.
The village of Pantanillo even created a viewpoint and tried to set up a museum with plane wreckage parts and other objects that were recovered from the crash grounds.
A mass is scheduled to be held at a La Unión church on Tuesday to honor the victims on the seventh anniversary of the crash.
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