The air crash and the underdogs - a triumph for a lost generation

For Zambia's population, its shot squad was a beacon of hope.

The value of copper, nan country's superior export, had almost halved successful nan past 4 years, tanking nan economy. Income had dropped sharply.

President Frederick Chiluba had declared a nationalist authorities of emergency, alleging that a coup crippled against him had been uncovered.

The shot squad though were a root of pride.

They were known arsenic Chipolo-polo, nan Copper Bullets.

It was a nickname derived from Zambia’s main manufacture and nan team's attacking, fierce style.

The squad had conscionable returned from a 3-0 triumph complete Mauritius successful an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

They had an eight-year unbeaten location grounds and were a set of brothers astatine nan highest of their powers.

As acold arsenic Zambians were concerned, USA ’94 was beckoning.

To get location they would person to apical a qualification excavation of three, trumping Morocco and Senegal successful home-and-away ties.

First up, Senegal away.

As accustomed it was a DHC-5 Buffalo subject level that would return them there.

With nan recession eating into its funding, nan shot relation couldn’t spend commercialized flights.

Instead nan DHC-5 Buffalo, an 18-year-old twin-propeller aircraft, early models of which had been utilized successful nan Vietnam War, would lumber crossed nan vastness of Africa.

It was not built for long-haul trips truthful it would person to make regular refuelling stops.

And it was showing its age. Six months earlier, while flying complete nan Indian Ocean en way to play Madagascar, nan aviator had really told nan players to deterioration their life jackets.

When Zambia's domestic-based players turned up to nan airfield extracurricular nan superior metropolis Lusaka to board, Patrick Kangwa, a personnel of nan nationalist squad action committee, met them.

He told 21-year-old midfielder Andrew Tembo and third-choice goalkeeper Martin Mumba that they wouldn't request to travel. They were dropped from nan squad.

Pride was wounded and basking words exchanged connected nan tarmac.

It was a modular action decision, but, connected this day, it decided who would unrecorded and who would die.

Those who did get onboard faced a daunting itinerary. The Buffalo planned to touch down and refuel successful nan Republic of Congo, Gabon and Ivory Coast earlier yet arriving successful Dakar, Senegal's capital.

In reality, it ne'er made it beyond Gabon.

The Zambian authorities has ne'er released nan study into what happened to nan flight.

But successful 2003, nan Gabonese authorities said that almost instantly aft take-off from nan superior Libreville, nan plane’s left-hand motor stopped working.

The pilot, tired from flying nan squad backmost from Mauritius nan time before, unopen down nan right-hand motor by mistake.

The dense plane, abruptly without powerfulness aliases lift, plunged into nan water a fewer 100 metres from nan Gabon coast, sidesplitting each 30 group connected board.

Back successful nan Netherlands, Bwalya, his tally forgotten, saw nan news he already knew break connected television.

“There was a woman reference nan news and nan Zambian emblem was down her," he remembers.

"She said, ‘the Zambian nationalist shot squad walking to Dakar, Senegal, for a World Cup qualifier has crashed. There are nary survivors’.

“Ambition - arsenic a young person, brothers, team-mates, nan tone of nan group – was mislaid successful 1 day. But it seems for illustration yesterday, it’s truthful clear successful my mind.”

Kangwa – nan charismatic who had sent nan selected players connected their measurement successful Lusaka – flew to Gabon.

At a stroke, his domiciled had changed from picking players to identifying their remains.

“The bodies had been successful nan h2o for immoderate clip truthful immoderate had started to alteration successful state,” he says in BBC World Service podcast Copper Bullets.

“I had to effort and say, who’s this, who tin this be?

“After that, I cried, we each cried. None of america thought that we would find ourselves successful a spot wherever we would spot our colleagues successful pieces.”

Meanwhile, Bwalya arrived successful Lusaka, wherever reality sank in.

"We went to person nan bodies, and, 1 by one, they took nan coffins disconnected a level to beryllium transported to nan Independence Stadium," he says.

"That was erstwhile I realised I won’t spot nan squad – nan 1 I had travelled pinch successful nan aforesaid level a fewer months earlier – again."

On 2 May 1993, much than 100,000 Zambians came to Independence Stadium, wherever Zambia played their location matches, for a funeral.

Most of those attending stayed successful nan streets because nan stadium’s capacity was only 35,000.

Following an all-night vigil and a work of remembrance nan players were laid to remainder successful a semi-circle of graves.

Each sedate has a character planted successful beforehand of it successful a memorial plot called Heroes’ Acre, 100 metres to nan northbound of nan stadium.

One commemorated nan life of nan legendary Godfrey Chitalu, a fabled goalscorer who became nan team's coach.

Another was dedicated to Bwalya’s room-mate, David ‘Effort’ Chabala, who had kept nan cleanable expanse successful nan Olympic demolition of Italy.

Twenty-three year-old Kelvin Mutale was besides among nan dead. Two-footed, bully successful nan aerial and 2 years into his world career, he had emerged arsenic Bwalya’s onslaught partner and had conscionable scored each 3 goals successful nan triumph complete Mauritius.

“Derby Makinka was 1 of nan champion players that Zambia has ever produced successful nan number six position,” remembers Bwalya. “He was a tank.

“We had a world-class subordinate successful each position.

“I tin still consciousness being successful nan changing room pinch nan boys, I tin still spot nan boys, really happy they were, and it’s a bully past."