(Reuters) -Fans swarmed the pitch after Chapecoense earned promotion to Brazil's top-flight Serie A on Monday, marking their return to the elite competition nine years after an airplane crash killed most of the team's players and staff.

Chapecoense, relegated most recently in 2021, regained the top-flight status after a 1-0 win over Atletico Goianiense in Serie B.

The small-town team was in the headlines in November 2016 when its plane crashed en route to Colombia for the Copa Sudamericana final, claiming the lives of 71 of the 77 passengers, including most players and staff.