BOGOTA - Rescue operations at the site of a plane crash in central Colombia were suspended in the early hours of Tuesday morning amid heavy rain, Medellin airport said.

Authorities were looking for survivors after an aircraft with 81 people aboard, including players from Brazil's Chapecoense football team, crashed late on Monday.

"Search and rescue of the crashed Chapecoense plane is suspended because of heavy rain in the accident area," Medellin airport, where the plane had been set to land, said on Twitter.?