Chapecoense mourn death of reporter who survived plane crash
Rafael Henzel, a radio reporter who survived the crash that killed most of the Chapecoense soccer team in 2016, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, the Brazilian club said. He was 45.
Rafael Henzel, a radio reporter who survived the crash that killed most of the Chapecoense soccer team in 2016, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, the Brazilian club said. He was 45.
A Associação Chapecoense de Futebol informa que, diante da triste notícia do falecimento do jornalista Rafael Henzel - ocorrido na noite desta terça-feira - solicitou prontamente à CBF o adiamento da partida contra o Criciúma, marcada para as 19h15 desta quarta-feira. + pic.twitter.com/gGTTnmJS18
— Chapecoense (@ChapecoenseReal) March 27, 2019
Globo reported that Henzel collapsed while playing football in the southern city of Chapeco and despite being rushed to hospital he died soon after.
A highly respected figure in the area, Henzel returned to his radio job after recovering from the plane crash.
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"Throughout his brilliant career, Rafael told the story of Chapecoense," the club said on its web site. "He was a symbol of the club’s reconstruction and he will always be remembered in the green and white pages of this institution."
Henzel was one of six people to survive the crash, which killed 71 of the 77 people on board. The flight was carrying the team to the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final in Medellin when it crashed into a hillside. Three players also survived the crash.